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The HHS Office for Civil Rights in a pilot program during 2012 conducted 115 random HIPAA privacy/security compliance audits of providers, payers and claims clearinghouses as it prepares for a permanent audit program to start during fiscal year 2014.

To better learn from the pilots and refine the program, OCR will conduct an online survey with the pilot sites. But first, the agency is issuing a notice explaining the survey process and seeking public comment, before making revisions and sending the survey to pilot sites.

The survey will cover pilot attitudes about major components of the audit program, including document requests, communications received, on-site visits, and audit report findings and recommendations. It also will seek estimates of financial and time costs for responding to audit-related requests, the effect of the audit program on day-to-day business operations, and whether HIPAA compliance was improved because of the audit program. The notice is available here.