Tech Advisory

Technology Advice for Small Businesses

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4 HIPAA protections against ransomware

Keeping up with HIPAA regulations may be a pain for most healthcare institutions, but it does provide guidelines on how to protect your organization from devastating cyberattacks. That said, following HIPAA rules may be your best shot in fending off ransomware like WannaCry. For those who don’t know, WannaCry was first discovered in the UK.… Continue reading 4 HIPAA protections against ransomware

How HIPAA wards off ransomware threats

Hospitals and healthcare organizations are usually the first victims of malware attacks. WannaCry ransomware — malicious software that encrypts files until the victim decides to pay the Bitcoin ransom — took advantage of this when it hit several healthcare institutions last month. With more malware expected to target the healthcare industry this year, following HIPAA… Continue reading How HIPAA wards off ransomware threats

What celebrities can teach us about HIPAA

Two trends have been rising in popularity in tandem: HIPAA compliance audits and social media. Obviously both of these are far too important to be correlated directly, but they do intersect with each other. Social media tends to push people toward oversharing, and that’s definitely something you don’t want when hosting regulated patient data. Celebrity… Continue reading What celebrities can teach us about HIPAA

Kanye West and HIPAA: an unlikely lesson

Learning about HIPAA is no fun task. To make it a little more interesting, we’re going to spice it up with a guest appearance by Kanye West. The musical artist’s recent stay at an LA hospital is a great example of what you need to know when educating employees about what constitutes a breach and… Continue reading Kanye West and HIPAA: an unlikely lesson

21st century challenges to patient privacy

A few generations ago, healthcare workers had far fewer opportunities to gossip about patients. But with social media and instant messaging, healthcare employees have plenty of opportunities to breach information before realizing what they’ve done. Consider some of these IT solutions to avoid a breach at your practice. Celebrity hospital visits Under HIPAA’s privacy rule,… Continue reading 21st century challenges to patient privacy

2017 HIPAA forecast: 3 important reminders

Although totally necessary, data privacy regulations are often a gigantic headache. And king among the various compliance standards is HIPAA. Despite the legislation’s enactment back in 2003, the rules governing electronic medical records and protected health information continue to change and evolve every year. Let’s take a moment to go over three things you need… Continue reading 2017 HIPAA forecast: 3 important reminders

HIPAA in 2017: 3 crucial considerations

When talking about IT within the healthcare industry, it’s pretty difficult for conversations to stray too far from HIPAA compliance. And as the number of audits and penalties continue to increase, those conversations only become more prevalent. As small- and medium-sized businesses review their policies at the beginning of a new year, let’s cover some… Continue reading HIPAA in 2017: 3 crucial considerations

3 Reminders for HIPAA compliance in 2017

Even if notable punishments and fines for HIPAA non-compliance have only been doled out over the last 6 years, data privacy regulations have been around for 14. And with each passing year, these rules evolve in ways that make it near impossible to keep up without an expert on hand. As we kick off 2017,… Continue reading 3 Reminders for HIPAA compliance in 2017

New heights in data compliance penalties

The tech industry is littered with buzzwords: overused jargon generally meant to inspire feelings of hope and accomplishment. Not all have positive connotations however, and data compliance is one of those spooky buzzwords that many small- and medium-sized businesses have scant specific knowledge about. What better way to gain a clearer understanding of the consequences… Continue reading New heights in data compliance penalties

Record $5.5 million HIPAA penalty doled out

If your organization hosts data regulated by the US government, you’re familiar with the scare tactics used to sell hosting services. But what lurks behind those vague threats of expensive lawsuits and unfair liability burdens? HIPAA is nearly 100 pages long and few providers actually know what it requires. Unfortunately, it took a massive breach… Continue reading Record $5.5 million HIPAA penalty doled out