On August 19, 2009
HHS Office Will Be Funded Partly By The HIPAA Fines It Levies
Have you ever heard of a federal agency in charge of enforcing a set of regulations that is partly funded by the penalties it imposes on violators? I had not, until I began researching the provisions of the HITECH Act that are related to the HIPAA privacy and security rules. Part of the economic stimulus package that was passed in February, the HITECH Act focuses primarily on incentives for providers to adopt electronic health records and to use them to improve the quality of care. But it also stiffens the penalties for privacy and security violations by HIPAA-covered entities, which include most doctors and hospitals, and requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to periodically audit providers to…
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