Most not ready for HIPAA audits; data breaches abound

http://ow.ly/7QE4A

An article by Alicia Caramenico posted on the fiercehealthcare.com website.

This article discusses recent trends regarding HIPAA audits of healthcare providers.

The article states, "Even though the Office of Civil Rights has already started conducting Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) audits, most healthcare organizations are not prepared for a privacy and security compliance review, according to a November HCPro survey, reports HealthLeaders Media.

Of the more than 400 responding organizations, only 17 percent said they are fully prepared for a federal HIPAA audit, while 70 percent are "somewhat prepared" to be evaluated."

The article goes on to provide information regarding data breaches that have occurred, and discusses the risks of not being able to safeguard electronic health information.