HIPAA has not been as much in focus as it has been in the past. Make no mistake about it, it is still being enforced, and it still matters. Even though there are HIPAA Covid-19 challenges, we still need to maintain our HIPAA security and enforce all of our policies and procedures. With the new HIPAA Covid-19 challenges, things have certainly changed. OCR is using some discretion but they are not giving a “pass” to HIPAA violators. It’s not easy, but extremely important we maintain our HIPAA compliance.

HIPAA Covid-19 Challenges

 

  1. Your workforce that is outside your firewalled and protected office. It’s very difficult to protect ePHI on systems that are not on your network.
  2. Home computers. You never know who uses these computers and how they are using them.
  3. Local storage of sensitive information. People tend to download information to their computers. If home workers do this, you are unaware of it.
  4. Residential routers are not strong enough to protect your ePhi.
  5. Patch management and status – most home users don’t really pay attention to this and their computers could be at risk.
  6. Adherence to policies and procedures. When not in the office, the users normally do not adhere to office policies and procedures
  7. Focus is on functionality, not security. Covid-19 happened so fast, no one had time to focus on security. The focus is on seeing patients and getting work done.

If you have any questions or concerns about HIPAA Covid-19 challenges, please feel free to contact us. 855-698-4373