05/21/2013
The rapid advancement of mobile technologies we are seeing today is like a locomotive train gathering steam. It's not stopping anytime soon. Health care institutions must evolve or risk being run over. By Patrick Oliver Graf
03/14/2013
The growing use of electronic health records means that many organizations have more data to work with than ever before. Health care industry executives see great potential in data analytics, but the increasing use of such tools also raises significant security concerns. by John Moore, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter
02/19/2013
In response to the growing use of mobile devices in health care, HHS recently released a set of online tools to help health care providers comply with HIPAA privacy and security rules. HHS' tips are designed to be particularly helpful to smaller health care providers, but they should be of interest to health care providers of all sizes. by Helen R. Pfister and Susan R. Ingargiola, Manatt Health Solutions
02/08/2013
The long-awaited final HIPAA privacy and security rules mandated under the HITECH Act help create a comprehensive framework of privacy and security protections necessary to build and maintain public trust in a robust, digital health data ecosystem. But there is more work to be done. By Deven McGraw
12/17/2012
Health care IT managers and industry consultants say their top health IT security resolutions for 2013 will be continuing the focus on encryption, bolstering mobile and wireless security, collaborating more on business continuity, considering cyber security and keeping an eye on the essentials. by John Moore, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter
11/12/2012
Use of personal health records is expected to increase with Stage 2 of the meaningful use program. However, comparing PHR privacy policies remains challenging. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's Model Privacy Notice was designed to address the problem, but vendor adoption has been extremely limited. by Kate Ackerman, iHealthBeat Managing Editor
09/27/2012
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has dropped its plans to issue a Nationwide Health Information Network governance rule. It's now imperative that the federal government more actively use its existing authorities to ensure seamless and trusted exchange for patients and providers. By Deven McGraw
09/24/2012
The federal government's push for patients to have greater access to their health data has increased the privacy and security burden on health care providers. Meanwhile, the general industry consensus is that once such data are transferred to patients, the security job shifts to the user. by John Moore, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter
07/30/2012
Last month, the HHS Office for Civil Rights released the protocol it is using to audit compliance with various requirements under HIPAA as part of a pilot program. HHS will use the results of the pilot program audits to help shape the structure, focus and size of an ongoing audit program. by Robert Belfort and Susan Ingargiola, Manatt Health Solutions
07/09/2012
Wireless medical devices offer several benefits, such as the ability for clinicians to remotely monitor devices and patients, but experts warn that the technology also poses new security risks. Several groups are pursuing research and best practices into medical device security. by John Moore, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter
05/24/2012
The health care sector should pay close attention to recent reports from the White House, the Federal Trade Commission and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. The documents, which have implications for health care, lay out a consistent approach to protecting personal data privacy. By Deven McGraw
05/14/2012
Third-party business associates were involved in many of the largest health data breaches that occurred last year. Experts say that business associate agreements help to ensure the security of patient data, but the agreements might not go far enough. by John Moore, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter
04/19/2012
Federal health IT efforts continued in the first quarter of 2012, with the release of proposed rules for Stage 2 of the meaningful use incentive program and the appointment of Todd Park as the country's new chief technology officer. by Helen Pfister, Susan Ingargiola and Rachel Sam
03/12/2012
The health care industry has been slower than other fields to embrace security risk assessments. However, several factors -- including a growing number of data breaches, increased government oversight and the meaningful use program -- are starting to change that. by John Moore, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter
01/09/2012
With the start of the new year, it's time to break that pattern of too much talk and not enough action. The federal government must take big, concrete steps to implement a comprehensive privacy and security policy and technology framework to govern electronic health information exchange. By Deven McGraw