Can On-Line Therapy Cross State Lines and Remain HIPAA-Compliant?
Suppose a licensed therapist whose office is in Ironwood, Michigan, has a client, referred by the patient’s insurance company, who drives twice a week to her office from his home across the Montreal River and 20 miles down Highway 51 in Saxon, Wisconsin. She is the nearest therapist to his home. No problem getting paid […]
Snowden Leaks Disclose NSA-Skype Cooperation
In a story that has been developing over the past several weeks, The Guardian disclosed last week that Microsoft has been providing the National Security Agency with access to recorded data collected on Skype, which was purchased by Microsoft for $8.5 billion in 2011. The files provided by Edward Snowden illustrate the scale of cooperation […]
What is a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement, and Why Do I Need One?
If your practice is currently using a medical teleconferencing service (telemed), or if you are considering using one, you should know that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and the recently-finalized (March 2013) Rules promulgated thereunder, consider the provider of such service to be a “business associate.” HIPAA defines a business […]
NSA Got Your Data?
NSA got your data? Not from us, they didn’t. As any of us who use the internet with any regularity know, information about us is collected every day, via cookies in our computers or loyalty cards in our wallets, by commercial enterprises, communications companies, and social media sites. They know what we eat, what we […]
Can You Afford a HIPAA Violation?
In June of 2012, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services agreed to pay $1.7 million to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule arising out of the loss of a portable USB thumb […]
So You Think Skype is HIPAA-Compliant?
By Stephen C. Taylor, General Counsel www.securevideo.com HIPAA – or as it is formally known, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Public Law 104-191 – substantially codified the way health information for virtually all Americans must be handled. Sections 261-264 of the law require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) […]