Tag: HIPAA

HITECH Act compliance deadline is September 23

by Elizabeth A. Diller and James P. McElligott Jr. Employer-sponsored health plans subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be in compliance with the final rule under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) by September 23. […]

Curb FMLA Abuse through Training Supervisors and Coworkers

FMLA abuse is a frustration for many employers. How can an employer continue to provide employees their protected leave while reducing the chances that it will be used improperly? One way that employers can reduce FMLA abuse is training. By properly training both supervisors and coworkers about how FMLA works, the employer increases the number […]

Measure Your Training Programs Against Those of Other Companies

Over 700 individuals participated in the HR Daily Advisor’s April 2013 Training and Development Survey. Read on to see how the training programs your company offers stack up against those of other successful companies. Training Topics The leading topics for compliance training for employees are: New hire orientation (79%) Sexual harassment (75%) Discrimination (69%) Other […]

Apply Now for HIPAA-standard Health Plan Identifier

Health plans now may begin applying for the standard health plan identifier required by HIPAA, CMS has announced. The online application was posted March 29 on CMS’ Health Plan and Other Entity Enumeration System (HPOES). Most HIPAA-covered health plans, including employer group health plans, must obtain an HPID by Nov. 5, 2014, except that “small health […]

HIPAA final regulations take effect March 26

The long-awaited final Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in January become effective on March 26. According to the HHS, the regulations represent “the most sweeping changes to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules since they were first implemented.” The regulations are […]

6 Bucks Back for Every Buck Invested in Wellness? Get on Board

Furthermore, Morris adds, your wellness program may get way more important under the Affordable Care Act. Morris, who specializes in benefits, is a member of the firm Epstein Becker Green in its Washington, D.C., office. Wellness Is Popular, But Hard to Define A recent survey found that 70.3 percent of 539 employer respondents reported offering […]

Wellness ROI Irresistible—$6 for Every $1 Invested

Furthermore, Morris adds, your wellness program may get way more important under the Affordable Care Act. Morris, who specializes in benefits, is a member of the firm Epstein Becker Green in its Washington, D.C., office. Wellness Is Popular, But Hard to Define A recent survey found that 70.3 percent of 539 employer respondents reported offering […]

DOL Debuts MHPAEA Web Page, Adds FAQs

The U.S. Department of Labor has collected its rules, guidance and other materials on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act into a new MHPAEA Web page. The materials on this page include a new set of frequently asked questions on “understanding implementation” of MHPAEA, which when enacted in 2008 substantially beefed up HIPAA’s […]

Arizona Surgery Practice to Pay $100,000 in HIPAA Settlement

A heart surgery group practice agreed to pay $100,000 to settle federal allegations that it chronically neglected standard HIPAA requirements such as risk assessment, training and business associate contracts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced April 17. This settlement, coming hard on the heels of HHS’ $1.5 million agreement with BlueCross […]

Proposed Health Plan Identifier Could Cost Plans More Than $1B

A standard health plan identifier proposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could cost health plans a total of up to $1.3 billion to implement. The proposed rules, released April 9, would establish a unique health plan identifier (HPID) for HIPAA-covered health plans (both group health plans and insurers), and an […]