HIPAA and Encryption

Data Encryption Saves Millions in HIPAA Breach Penalties Mike Semel, HIT Security Every time there is a HIPAA data breach penalty for a lost laptop or hard drive, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Director Leon Rodriguez says that the penalty would have been avoided if the data was encrypted. The HITECH Act of 2009 modified the HIPAA data breach rule by stating that if a device is lost or stolen, the loss is not reportable as a HIPAA data breach if the data is encrypted in compliance with data encryption guidance from theNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST.) In 2012 a...

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What is a HIPAA HITECH Breach

Interim final breach notification regulations, issued in August 2009, implement section 13402 of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act by requiring HIPAA covered entities and their business associates to provide notification following a breach of unsecured protected health information.  Similar breach notification provisions implemented and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), apply to vendors of personal health records and their third party service providers, pursuant to section 13407 of the HITECH Act....

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Some wireless Devices can cause mayhem

Careful with buying unregulated non FCC certified devices. A house in mill creek Wa reported that about 3 weeks ago wireless key fobs for their cars and the garage door opener stopped working.. On further investigation it was found that it was affecting at least 3 houses. After 3 weeks a radio frequency sensor was used to home in on the source of the interference. It turned out to be an inexpensive door bell extender bought from amazon.com. The small device was push enough interference in the 315mhz range to effect 3 homes car and garage wireless. – James Cosgrove

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