With the recent news of data breaches at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, WalMart, Target and Sony, reality has set in. If such big organizations can be victimized, what does that mean for smaller ones?
Data experts conclude that a data breach is not an “if” but a “when” proposition.
Your Liability
According to the 2014 report, every breached patient record costs health care providers $359 per record in associated remediation expenses. A small breach of 500 patient records could cost your practice almost $180,000. Additionally, exposure of patient medical and billing data can expose you to litigation as well as fines and penalties. Violations of HIPAA can be as high as $50,000 per violation.
Identifying the Source
We can investigate any data breaches in your practice may have compromised patient confidentiality and exposed you to liability.
Breaches occur due to such things as:
- Stolen laptop computers
- Outside cyber-attacks on your network
- Disappearing hardcopy files
In all circumstances, we work to identify and isolate the cause of the breach.
Notification and Response
In the event of a data breach, you are obligated to notify various parties, including patients whose information was compromised. At Star Compliance Services, we will work with you, your legal counsel, PR/Communications agency or others in your response team to:
- Collect data
- Draft notification letters
- Work out alternative notification methods
- Restore & maintain client confidence
Close the Breach and Protect Your Practice
What about future breaches?
As part of our services, we will work with you and your staff to minimize the possibility of future breaches and to develop solid detection and response strategies.
HIPAA Risk Assessment
Recent audits by the U.S. Office for Civil Rights found that only 11% of the covered entities audited were fully compliant with HIPAA. The audits identified risk analysis and risk assessments as the biggest weakness and found that the smallest health care providers had the most difficulty with compliance.
Star Compliance Services will work with you and your staff to conduct a risk assessment and then develop remediation strategies to improve compliance. Contact us to find out more.