There’s a new solution on the market to make HIPAA and HITECH compliance faster and easier, and the real draw is that it makes it easier for physicians to qualify for the stimulus incentives and bonuses from the ARRA, PQRI and E-Prescribing initiatives.  In a business wire issued on October 22^nd Reuters highlights the new “Surveillance Program” offered by Doctations.

The Surveillance Program allows physicians to meet requirements for the E-prescribing initiative for a 2% bonus, the Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) for a 2% bonus as well as to qualify for up to $44,000 in incentives from the ARRA via the High-Tech bonus. Doctations’ COO Jerry Kolosky highlights the benefits: “By implementing the Surveillance functionality, we are providing online tools that make it simple for doctors to meet new government requirements, help ensure positive patient outcomes and receive the associated financial benefits.”

Reuters states that “By implementing the medical practice management and digital documentation solutions as web-native tools, Doctations provides doctors and patients with advanced, secure, HIPAA compliant, comprehensive solutions that are substantially less expensive than any other options currently available.”

And yes, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) has certified this application.  Doctations has committed to updating this program for immediate compliance with HIPAA and HITECH rules as well as other regulations.

The World Health Care Congress Leadership Summit on HITECH and HIPAA Compliance Management is designed to provide solutions for exposing risks and maintaining compliance with new HIT requirements from the ARRA, HIPAA and health reform. The summit will be held on November 9 – 10 in Arlington, VA. Read on for 10 compelling reasons to attend along with interesting facts about the upcoming conference.

10.  Resources and Checklists are included so you can reduce exposure and risk.  Make HIPAA and HITECH work for you, not against you.

9.  Network in the Exhibit lounge with other executives and HIPAA know-it-alls.

8.  Torpedo Factory Art Center is not part of the conference, but it is one of the free things to do before or after the conference.  Click here for a list of more free things to do in Alexandria.

7. Meet 17 speakers and learn from their experiences.  They’re here to help you, after all.

6. Data Breaches pose a huge liability.  Find out how to identify, track, fix and report a HIT data breach, as well as best practices for organizational recovery.

5.  27 Red Flags of medical ID theft…learn what you need to do to protect yourself and your clients from data breaches and medical ID theft.

4.  Get money from the Recovery Act, Medicaid and Medicare by learning the security frameworks required by these programs.

3.  Save money by registering by October 30: enter code QFZ483 on the registration page for an extra $100 off the current rate.

2.  Bill Clinton is providing the closing keynote address: “Embracing our Common Humanity”.  How often do you get to see the former President up close and personal?

1. Be proactive on your HIPAA and HITECH implementation so that you can make the right strategic and tactical HIT management decisions…learn how to avoid security breaches in the first place!

For more information about the conference, click here.

So what are the big changes?

- Business Associates are now covered under and subject to HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Prior to the ARRA being enacted, only health plans and health care providers (covered entities) were subject to HIPAA. Who is a business associate? “A business associate is any person or entity who performs or helps perform a function or activity on behalf of a covered entity that involves the use or disclosure of PHI. Third-party administrators, utilization reviewers and attorneys who represent covered entities are among the parties who are frequently treated as business associates.” This becomes effective February 17, 2010.

- Individuals must now be notified if there is a security breach of their PHI within 30 days; the local press must be notified if there are more than 500 privacy or security breaches within the same geographic area. Logs must be kept and reported to HHS annually.

- When a complaint is made, the ARRA requires HHS to formally investigate a covered entity or business associate; regular audits for HIPAA privacy and security compliance are now required as well.

- It’s now more expensive than ever to pay for violations. Under ARRA, for violations of an identical requirement during the same calendar year penalties can range, depending on the type of violation, from $100 to $50,000 per violation, with a cap of $25,000 to $1.5 million per year.

For additional information, you can read more at http://www.stradley.com/newsletters.php?action=view&id=439