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HIPAA

Navigating HIPAA in the Electronic Age:What DCs Must Know

By |April 29, 2015|HIPAA, Practice Management|

Navigating HIPAA in the Electronic Age:
What DCs Must Know

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   ACA News ~ March 2015


By Gina Shaw


It has been nearly 20 years since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was passed and more than five years since its privacy protections for health care consumers were significantly strengthened by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, as more healthcare transactions became electronic.

But even so, many clinicians — especially those in smaller, often non-hospital-affiliated practices such as chiropractic — may not be up to speed on what they need to do to protect their patients’ privacy in the electronic age and comply with laws like HIPAA and HITECH, says Steven Baker, DC, DABFP, DABCO, a councilor with the Council on Chiropractic Education.

“Pretty much every office has a HIPAA form that they have their patients sign, saying here’s what we can do with your information,” he says. “But often they have just picked it up from a practice management group, and they may not really know what’s on that form or what it obligates them to do.”

So here are a few things every doctor of chiropractic (DC) and chiropractic office staffer should know about electronic privacy:



1.   Do the laws apply to you?

Most health care practitioners are considered “covered entities” under HIPAA and HITECH — but not necessarily all. Healthcare providers are considered covered entities if they electronically transmit “PHI” — protected health information. You can collect individually identifiable health information without transmitting it electronically, although that’s becoming rare these days.

Learn more about HIPPA @ our:

HIPAA Compliance Page

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HIPAA GETS AN UPDATE: What You Need to Know Now

By |November 1, 2013|HIPAA, Uncategorized|

HIPAA GETS AN UPDATE: What You Need to Know Now

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   ACA News ~ November 2013

By Julie Lenhardt, Sr. Director, Insurance Advocacy


POP QUIZ:   Do you know why Sept. 23, 2013, was significant for covered entities?

It’s because Sept. 23 was the date by which covered entities must be compliant with the new portions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) that were added when the omnibus rule was finalized in January. What do you need to do in order to be compliant? ACA will help you answer that question and will provide you with the resources you need to be compliant.

The following steps are recommended, at a minimum. These suggestions do not take into consideration state provisions that may be more stringent than the federal regulations. Certainly, guidance should always be sought from your attorney, and your malpractice carrier may also offer some assistance as well.

(Note: If you are not sure you are a covered entity, you may check the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website)

STEP 1:   Update your clinic’s
Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP)
The Omnibus Rule made several changes to how and when providers must get patient authorization to release Protected Health Information (PHI). The changes need to be reflected in a covered entity’s NPP.

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