Help Me With HIPAA

Today you're going to get a twofer. We're going to discuss the two recent reports that OCR submitted to Congress on the state of compliance with Privacy and Security and the other on Report Breaches and Notifications. Let's start by saying that OCR is really busy… I mean really busy. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/396

Data breaches can be costly - so costly, in fact, that they can turn a business's bottom line into a roller coaster of emotion, ranging from shock and dismay to tears of dollars! But with a robust privacy and security program in place, businesses can reduce the likelihood of a data breach and the financial impact that comes with it. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/395

Today, we are talking about a new OCR settlement that was released from a 2016 hacking attack on Banner Health's network, causing a data breach of over 2.81 million individuals. We'll review the OCR CAP. But suffice it to say… until we have more engagement from every person connecting to the internet, we will never make real progress in the battle against cyber criminals. More info at HelpMeWithHI...

It's a story straight out of a blockbuster movie - an elite team of FBI agents infiltrating an underground network to thwart an international crime syndicate, saving over $130 million in ransom demands. Using their expert skills, the FBI agents were able to infiltrate the Hive network without detection and shut them down… at least for now. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/393

AI is the latest nerd language spreading wildly across… well, everywhere. ChatGPT, an automated AI-powered chatbot, is designed to provide automated conversational responses to users in a friendly and natural way. Today, we discuss and show you how ChatGPT explains itself and how it could be used in healthcare. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/392

Knowing what vendors your BAs may use to provide services to your organization is crucial. Those downstream vendors could be the cause of a breach of your data. Signing a BAA does not prove a BA is properly securing your data. Vetting your vendors is as important as making sure your vendors are vetting their vendors. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/391

Using website tracking technology on healthcare sites can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can help healthcare organizations better understand user behavior, preferences, and interests. However, if not properly secured, this technology can also put users at risk of their sensitive data being accessed and used inappropriately.  More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/390

The recent breach at the popular password manager, LastPass, has caused a lot of concern amongst its users. We ourselves have discussed whether this is the last pass we are going to give to LastPass. So, in today's episode, we discuss what happened, what it means for LastPass users and what are some things you should do or consider doing. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/389

For our first show of 2023 we review 2 more OCR settlements! These are the last ones released in 2022. Listen in to hear what happened so that you can learn how to avoid making the same mistakes in the new year. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/388

This is one of our favorite episodes of the year. We will recap our 2022 privacy and security predictions and then make new predictions for 2023. Aside from the obvious predictions like "ransomware will increase", our predictions will give you what we think you are going to be hearing about that you should worry about in 2023. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/387

As is our custom, we take one week off each year from creating new content just to give us a break. It also gives our sound engineer, Bojan Sabioncello, a chance to shine while he goes through all the outtakes he deals with all year. He gets in front of the mic to share how awful we treat him yet, he is still around after all these years.  Thanks to Bojan for his skill in making us sound so good e...

When you think of a power outage happening to you or your business, you probably think of an outage lasting a few hours. Not the case with the recent massive power outage experienced in Moore County NC recently. So, that begs the question, do you have a response plan for experiencing a power outage lasting a week or more?  You should. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/386

The holidays are upon us and everyone is getting excited about buying presents for friends and loved ones. Cyber criminals are excited too because it means even more opportunities to attack us. Today, we are discussing an article from ZDnet about three new ways attackers are trying to trick you. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/385

OCR recently released a video on their Recognized Security Practices initiative. The intent is to teach HIPAA regulated entities on what Recognized Security Practices is and what is required to prove its implementation in your organizations. We will review the video today and give you some key takeaways from it. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/384

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we thought it would be a good idea to cover three reasons why you should be thankful. Or better yet, three situations you should be thankful that you're not caught up in…. unless, unfortunately, you are. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/383  

The healthcare industry is not immune to cyberattacks. In fact, it's one of the most vulnerable industries. To protect patient safety and data security, hospitals and healthcare providers need to implement better cybersecurity measures. Today, we review a paper from the office of Senator Mark Warner (VA) that discusses policy options for the healthcare sector. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/382

What is your Incident Response Plan?  If you said "Oh, we'll just call IT," then you need to listen to this podcast.  We will review the October 2022 OCR Newsletter that discusses nine procedures that entities should consider including in the incident procedures. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/381

Keeping up on ways to protect your business from a cyber attack can feel intimidating, especially because of the continuously changing methods criminals use to social engineer us. The bottom line is it only takes one click at any time by anyone to open the door to the attackers.  More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/380

As you know, each year we record a Halloween episode.  This year we are covering very scary decisions that have come back to haunt several organizations, including an organization's decision not to report a cyber attack, an entity that thought they'd just stroke a check for fines assessed and everything would be OK, and a provider who posted PHI on social media. Listen in and learn what NOT to do....

Do you remember the saying "there's an app for that"? Apps certainly are cool and convenient, but can you tell whether they are malicious or not? Today, we discuss and give you some vetting tips you can use before you download apps.   More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/378

More and more the healthcare industry is using connected medical devices that do cool things, like creating efficiencies in the delivery of patient care and automating tasks for healthcare providers and their staff.  But, what about the security of these connected devices? Has anyone thought about that? Well, Ponemon and Cynerio did a study on just that topic and the results are very concerning. M...

OCR's right of access initiative keeps on churning with three more cases, making a total of 41 violations of patient right of access so far. Dentists are a known problem when it comes to doing anything for HIPAA privacy and security, including right of access requirements. But, they are quickly learning all about OCR enforcements of HIPAA violations. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/376

Every year we review the Ponemon Institute's Cost of a Data Breach report. It's always interesting because we learn that it's not just about the money. We learn what really makes a difference in our privacy and security program, what we can do that can make the biggest positive impact in the overall cost or a data breach and, more importantly, what things make the biggest negative impact. More inf...

We follow a lot of the Ponemon studies. They help us see changes and trends and make better recommendations to our clients. We are going to cover their annual cost of an insider breach study. This global study covers insider incidents and provides five signs your organization is at risk.  More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/374

The ongoing, rapidly changing cyber war has created a need for us to change our viewpoint on cybersecurity.  Yes, we need to worry about cyber hygiene and continue working on ways to secure our systems, networks and data. However, there is also a need to take the "plan for the worst but hope for the best" approach and start focusing on cyber resilience. More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/373