Is your healthcare organization ready for a HIPAA Compliance Audit? The Department of Health and Human Services(HHS)has just released it’s updated audit protocol. There will be a strong focus on compliance around access to PHI as well as organizational policy with Business Associates.
Here is a brief summary of what the OCR is planning for the Healthcare industry. They will be conducting over 200 remote audits, and up to 25 “full scale audits”, that will require onsite visits. Some of the topics they will cover during the audit protocol based off the OCR website:
• Privacy rules for notice of privacy practices for protected health information (PHI)
• Rights to request privacy protection for PHI
• Access of individuals to PHI
• Security rule requirements for administrative, physical and technical safeguards
The OCR will also will be sending out a sample questionnaire pre-screening sheet. The full details of the new audit protocol are available here. If you need addition information or assistance preparing for an audit we offer a complete HIPAA Compliance Audit & Issue Remediation services to ensure that you’re taking the proper steps to comply with the OCR Guidelines.