HIPAA Compliance for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practices

HIPAA Compliance for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practices Speech-language pathology and audiology practices carry a HIPAA risk that few other specialties share: they routinely create recordings of the patient’s own voice and likeness. An articulation sample, a fluency recording, a video of a swallow study, or a saved audiology session is far harder to de-identify […]

HIPAA and Social Media: Creating Compliant Social Media Policies

HIPAA and Social Media: Creating Compliant Social Media Policies Social media is unusual among HIPAA risks because the danger is rarely a hacker. It is a well-meaning employee celebrating a patient’s recovery, a clinic proudly sharing a before-and-after, or a frustrated staff member venting about a hard shift. What makes social media distinct is speed […]

HIPAA Compliance for Allergy and Immunology Practices

HIPAA Compliance for Allergy and Immunology Practices Allergy and immunology practices carry a HIPAA profile that looks calm on the surface and is surprisingly demanding underneath. These are usually outpatient practices, but they build some of the longest-running, most detailed records in medicine: skin-test panels, specific IgE lab results, and years of allergen immunotherapy visits. […]

HIPAA Compliance After a Data Breach: Recovery and Remediation Steps

HIPAA Compliance After a Data Breach: Recovery and Remediation Steps Quick Answer: After a data breach, organizations must contain the incident, conduct a risk assessment, notify affected individuals within 60 days, report to HHS, implement corrective actions, and document all response activities. Recovery includes updating policies, retraining staff, implementing additional safeguards, and potentially engaging with […]

HIPAA Compliance for Dermatology Practices: Clinical Photos and Teledermatology

HIPAA Compliance for Dermatology Practices: Clinical Photos and Teledermatology What sets dermatology apart from most specialties under HIPAA is the sheer volume of clinical photography. Dermatologists document lesions, rashes, moles, and surgical sites constantly, and those images are protected health information the moment they can be tied to a patient. Add the rise of teledermatology, […]

HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA): What to Include and Why

HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA): What to Include and Why Quick Answer: A Business Associate Agreement is a legally required contract between covered entities and vendors who handle PHI. A compliant BAA must specify permitted uses and disclosures, require appropriate safeguards, mandate breach notification within specified timeframes, and establish termination conditions if the associate violates […]

HIPAA Compliance for Social Workers: Navigating Privacy in Case Management

HIPAA Compliance for Social Workers: Navigating Privacy in Case Management Social workers handle some of the most sensitive information in healthcare while working across the most boundaries. A single case might touch a hospital, a housing agency, a school, a court, and a family — each a separate audience with a different legal basis for […]

HIPAA vs State Privacy Laws: Which Rules Apply to Your Organization?

HIPAA vs State Privacy Laws: Which Rules Apply to Your Organization? Quick Answer: HIPAA establishes a federal floor for health information privacy, but state laws can impose stricter requirements. When state law provides greater privacy protections, it preempts HIPAA. Organizations must comply with both, following whichever standard provides more protection. Key states with stricter laws […]

HIPAA Compliance for Behavioral Health Clinics: Substance Abuse and Mental Health

HIPAA Compliance for Behavioral Health Clinics: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Quick Answer: Behavioral health providers face HIPAA’s strictest data — psychotherapy notes get heightened protection, 42 CFR Part 2 adds extra rules for substance-use records, and minor-consent and duty-to-warn situations create disclosure decisions other specialties rarely face. A Security Risk Analysis plus clear policies […]

HIPAA Privacy Rule: Patient Rights and Permitted Disclosures Explained

HIPAA Privacy Rule: Patient Rights and Permitted Disclosures Explained Quick Answer: The HIPAA Privacy Rule governs how covered entities may use and disclose protected health information. It establishes patient rights including access to records, amendment requests, accounting of disclosures, and restrictions on use. The minimum necessary standard requires limiting PHI access to only what is […]