HIMSS Workshop Offers HIPAA Refresh, New Ideas

An interactive 8-hour workshop on Sunday, April 12—the day before HIMSS15 officially starts—will walk through the practical and legal nuances of HIPAA privacy and security issues.


An interactive 8-hour workshop on Sunday, April 12—the day before HIMSS15 officially starts—will walk through the practical and legal nuances of HIPAA privacy and security issues.

The workshop is timely as the healthcare industry struggles to confront the perils of hacking for financial gain.

“Dueling Banjos” is the theme as consultants, providers and attorneys square off on the issues, stopping often to engage the audience while exploring the many gray areas of HIPAA compliance. “As we go through this, lawyers have their view of the world and those of us who actually have to make it happen have a different view,” says Tom Walsh, president of Tom Walsh Consulting in Overland Park, Kan.

Issues to be covered include ever-changing requirements under HIPAA, legal ramifications to consider when adopting cloud computing, exchanging protected health information, best security practices, protecting patient portals, data security standards in the payment card industry that could serve as models, and lessons learned from recent breaches, among others. Meaningful Use audits also will be considered as participants attesting to MU must be able to demonstrate and justify HIPAA compliance if audited.

“You can’t make certain decisions in a vacuum,” Walsh says. “Legal can’t make decisions without understanding the technology and others can’t make decisions without understanding the legal implications.”

Other presenters include: Lee Kim, an attorney and director of privacy and security at HIMSS; Adam Green, an attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine; Mark Dill, director of information security at Cleveland Clinic; and Rita Bowen, vice president of health information management and privacy officer at HIM vendor HealthPort.

The workshop (Session ID A), “Navigating the Practical and Legal Aspects of HIPAA,” runs from 8:00-4:00 in Room W190A.

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