HIPAA Audits
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a Federal Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Audit Program that ensures compliance with specific government regulations set out and enforced by the US Department of Health and Human Sciences (HHS). Regulations can be confusing for some entities, therefore, having an educated and experienced team of professionals at your side can protect your organization in the event of a Federal audit. If there have been breaches in Privacy, your organization could be made to pay hefty penalties for violations — even if they were unknowingly violated.
Who Must Comply With HIPAA?
If you provide health care insurance or plans or are a government program that deals with insurance, such as Medicare and Medicaid, Company health plans, HMOs, and other health coverage companies and you transmit sensitive health information, you likely also fall under covered entities. There are two other types of covered entities, including health care providers that get paid to provide health care and healthcare clearinghouses.
This sensitive information can be in oral, electronic, or paper form and will have some form of “individually indentifiable health information” as named by HSS such as an address, name, social security number, etc.
If your company or organization must follow HIPAA regulations as a “covered entity,” it’s important that you comply with these regulations year round.
As part of an HIPAA Audit conducted by the OCR, there are various documents or requests that may be made, which include:
- A list of all business associates and their contact information;
- Both desk and onsite audits;
- Submission of documents through an online portal with 10 days of their request;
- Responding to draft findings;
If you are a covered entity, business associate, choosing to work with a third-party professional team to conduct an assessment of your HIPAA compliance can be very beneficial. It not only prepares you for a Federal audit but proves to your consumers and partners that you are completely transparent and serious about ensuring proper protocols are being followed.
Varsity can help your team organize what is needed so that no errors are made that can draw out the audit process. We will increase efficiency of your HIPAA audit, remove stressors that can occur when a organization takes on the audit itself, and aid in future organizational techniques that will have your company ready for the next audit.
Services Varsity Will Provide as Part of an HIPAA Audit
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act requires the US Department of Health and Human Sciences to periodically audit covered entities and business associates for their compliance with the HIPAA Rules. It is essential to ensure that your company has met all standards set out prior to these governmental audits. Varsity Technologies can review and organize all the information you will need, assure compliance, and essentially make the process as simple as possible.
Services available include:
- Provide an objective view/audit of your organization to find any holes or loose threads that may be causing issues in security to ensure the maximum security of your clients’ health and personal information.
- Pinpoint and unauthorized users or problems happening internally, whether accidental or on purpose.
- Provide a list of common mistakes made by covered entities when preparing for an HIPAA audit.
- Upon completion of our own HIPAA Audit, which is very similar to that done by the HSS, we will provide you with a final report that provides the compliance status and findings of your organization.
- Investigate complaints made to HSS’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and help your organization create a contingency plan and response to these complaints.
- If your organization has been selected for an audit, Varsity will help organize and deliver the necessary documents requested by the OCR.
- If your organization has not yet been selected for an audit or responding to a complaint, Varsity can aid in ensuring compliance by examining both privacy and security rules for compliance, identifing best practices that may not have been put in place, and discover risks and vulnerabilities.
- Provide guidance and advice where needed to help with any challenges in compliance. We will help to solve issues/problems before they become breaches or violations that the OCR may deem fit to introduce penalties.
- Review OCR Final Reports with your organization so each team member involved knows their roles and understands the final findings of the audit so proper actions can be taken if necessary.
Why Choose Varsity Technologies?
Varsity Technologies is committed to ensuring that your company is able to make the impact they desire. We are experts in Information Technology (IT) including cybersecurity and all that it entails. Not only will our team members become trusted affiliates of your organization, but they will strive to create a unique strategy that will manage and protect all your systems, networks, and other business processes and government regulations that are essential parts of your organization.
Varsity provides best-in-class service to all our clients. Our dedicated support team is here and available to provide quick and efficient advice and services so your company is always running at its best. Our trained and certified staff are fully trained in the modern workplace with a fully comprehensive understanding of Cloud-based workplace management and security.
