We wanted to write a short blog post today to cover the HIPAA and the CARES Act. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law by President Trump on 3/27/2020. In this law, you will come across a reference to HIPAA. As many of you may know, we have been expecting some updates to the HIPAA Regulations for a few years now. Is this the HIPAA update we have been waiting to see? No,…
COVID-19. We all know what it is by now – no need to explain further. For specific information about COVID-19 from the experts, please visit the CDC website, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this blog, we will cover regulations and actions your Pharmacy can take to help your staff, patients, and community stay healthy. We will also share links to various websites with relevant information for Pharmacy. COVID-19 and HIPAA For the most part, the HIPAA Rules remain the same,…
HIPAA is an area of compliance that has been around for a while now – almost 17 years. Over this long period of time, the Federal Government has continuously increased the level of scrutiny and amount of fines they have placed on Covered Entities (including Pharmacies). Because HIPAA has been in effect for so long, there is no excuse to be noncompliant. The first time the Office of Civil Rights (OCR; the Federal entity responsible for HIPAA enforcement) comes knocking, it is typically the result of a privacy breach or a complaint received by a consumer (or whistleblower). Depending on the circumstances of the breach or event, the OCR may conduct an investigation. During an…
Déjà vu? It was only 5 years ago that we saw the Windows XP “End of Life” occur. Now, it is time for Windows 7. Windows 8’s “End of Life” will occur in January 2023. On January 14, 2020, Microsoft will end support for Windows 7. This means if you are currently running Windows 7 on any of your computers you will no longer receive security updates from Microsoft. These security updates and patches address vulnerabilities that if exposed could…
So, just a few months ago, I let you all know that HIPAA was back in the news with new court rulings, enforcement activities and how future HIPAA Audits would be occurring proactively (instead of reacting to breaches and complaints). Since then we have taken a long journey together to go over some of the items that need to be in place and happen on a daily basis, so that your pharmacy is HIPAA ready. We also looked at what…
