13 Apr HIPAA lessons on 2017
You’ve likely already heard, or been on the front lines of it, but HIPAA had a big year in 2016. Privacy breaches, hacking threats and financial issues prevailed as pressure mounted on all sides.
Whether you look at the $23.5 million in fees extracted by HHS or the record-number of stolen protected health information incidents last year, there was no shortage of news throughout the year.
Greater Payouts
The most stark example of HIPAA’s effect is in the huge increase in payouts for violations. In 2015, they were $6.19 million, which means they increased almost four times in one year.
HIPAA payouts also not only increased in number, they increased in size. The average settlement in 2016 was $1.8 million, the largest number in over five years.
More Breaches
Looking at the raw data, it appears more breaches are occurring across the board, but it also could be a reporting problem. Thanks to regulatory changes made in the past few years, breach disclosure requirements have been significantly ramped up.
In 2016, almost 16 million patient records were potentially compromised by a breach, which itself almost sets the record.
Why ChartFast
It’s something our industry has to face on two sides: the burdens of regulation and the threat of hacking. That’s where we come in.
When you partner with us, you are putting your patient’s protected health information into our hands; some of the safest hands around.
We pride ourselves on providing industry-leading security measures that don’t skimp on the user’s experience, whether that be you, your staff, or your patients.
Don’t get caught learning a HIPAA lesson the hard way in 2017. Contact us today to take our assessment and get started!