HIPAA – Ignorance is Not Bliss

HIPAA – Ignorance is Not Bliss

“Man seems to insist on ignoring the lessons available from history.” – Norman Borlaug

There is a very difficult line that we walk here at the ICS.  We do not want doctors to operate under fear, but we do not want them to ignore the consequences of inaction.  We talk to doctors all over the state about many issues, and some of those issues surround regulatory requirements for your office.  I have heard doctors give any number of excuses about why they are not doing things right and why they are not going to change.

Consequences of HIPAA Breaches

A doctor once told me when I informed him that he was violating HIPAA law, “I prescribe to the thought that things aren’t as bad as they seem.” So, the following is a sobering list directly from Health and Human Services regarding health care entity consequences resulting from recent HIPAA breaches:

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Are you completely certain that your HIPAA procedures, policies, practices, and safeguards are up-to-date and defendable? If not, then please do not ignore these lessons from history. Spend some time and update your procedures and policies, educate yourself and your staff, establish high-quality safeguards and protect your practice. As burdensome as the consequences of non-compliance can be, sometimes the fixes are simpler than you think.  Once you learn the steps you need to take, you may be surprised to find that an ounce of prevention is much easier than a pound of cure (or 31,000 pounds of cure). Here are a few resources:

ICS HIPAA Articles

ICS Online Education on HIPAA

Live Education (4 CME) Tinley Park

Live Education (4 CME) Schaumburg

About Author

Marc Abla, CAE

Marc Abla began working at the Illinois Chiropractic Society in 2002 and became the Executive Director in 2008. He brings his extensive financial, administrative and association experience to the ICS. He is a Certified Association Executive and a graduate of the Certified Leadership Series through the Illinois Society of Association Executives. Additionally, he is a member of the Illinois Society of Association Executives, the American Society of Association Executives, Association Forum, Congress of Chiropractic State Associations, and the American Chiropractic Association.

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