...Vulnerabilities and Countermeasures.……………..…………..3 Section II: Recommended Changes to Security Management Policies………...……………..7 Section III: Adaption of Requirements to Reduce Security Risk……….……………....…......11 Conclusion. …………………………………….…………………………………….…21 References ……………………………………………………………...………………23 Introduction There are multiple benefits of electronic health records (EHR), which include improved care, quicker access to patient files, and increased physician oversight of care. However, with the benefit of convenience of using EHRs, comes the responsibility of protecting electronic protected health information (ePHI) and safeguarding sensitive patient data. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) focuses on protecting ePHI with guidelines to ensure organizations have implemented “reasonable and appropriate” security measures to adhere to HIPAA rules and maintain patient confidentiality. HIPAA requires covered entities to conduct risk assessments to verify compliance and attempt to uncover areas where ePHI is at risk of compromise. This analysis of the iTrust database, as related to the new requirements that iTrust wishes to implement, will discuss the threats and vulnerabilities and the potential impact on the iTrust web application and database. Section I: iTrust Threats & Vulnerabilities and Countermeasures A detailed analysis of the iTrust database detected several high-risk vulnerabilities that...
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...The Need for Information Security, Technical Innovation and Clinical Change. 1 The Need for Information Security, Technical Innovation and Clinical Change ISM 3011– Information Systems Management Abstract The Tri-County Life Care of the Treasure Coast (TLC) is a non-profit organization providing in-home health-care services throughout Florida's Indian River, Brevard, and northern St. Lucie Counties. TLC has been serving this community for over thirty years, but what truly makes us unique is our tradition of providing comprehensive health-care—whenever and wherever our patients need it. Tri-County Life Care, Inc. offers the highest quality and most reliable in home wellness care in the convenience and comfort of client home. (TLC) have been providing superior service to there clients and have help them in achieving their goals. Whatever your needs are, TLC home health team will design a plan that is specific to you and your situation. Whenever your health needs can be met at home, TLC staff is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Owners and officers representing TLC are Chief Executive Officer - Eric Maar, Chief Financial Officer - Satchell Peterkin, Chief Technology Officer - Raquel Queen, and Chief Information Officer - Kerry Cosner. These individuals are committed to providing the clinical staff with the most technologically advanced tools available to effect patient care in the most advantageous way possible...
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...Effective working knowledge of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) A shadow chart (not part of the legal medical record) is a copy of original health record retained apart from the primary custodial area used primary by health care providers in their office or clinic setting. Independent databases are often created by researchers and may not include the same content as the original health record. In case of a late entry (addendum) in one, shadow chart or independent database, that is used to add information to a previous entry must have the title addendum, date, time, the reasons of creating the addendum referring back to the original entry (Legal Medical Records Standards). Information technology staff can help decrease incidents of security breaches by implementing screen protectors in all computers, by providing logging accreditation to all personnel, by using network security software and hardware, by monitoring the safety of the network and by educating, reporting and enforcing any HIPAA violation. In case of disclosure of unauthorized protected medical information such as providing a copy of medical records to a friend of a patient without written authorization from the patient may result in fines and imprisonment to the institution and individuals involved in such HIPAA violation. HIPAA defines as criminal the use or disclosure (by individuals or institutions) of confidential medical information of a patient for any other purposes...
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...Record system such as AllScripts, EPIC, or NexGen that will need to be accessible to all employees and doctors. This will be a new satellite office for an existing office that is ten miles away. What we plan to cover in this paper will be the specifications it will take to get this office’s network up, running, and able to support the equipment, software, and databases they are trying to implement, while also giving them the ability to communicate with their Main office. We will also have to ensure that what we create is very secure, and follows all HIPPA requirements for the network and data storage. We will go over the networks design including topology, Network Interface Cards (NICs), network operating system (NOS), cabling, where will the companies devices be located (servers, hubs or switches, printers, firewalls and routers, modems etc.), and how many users will they have. We will also discuss security measures such as, backup processes, and power it will take to sustain this network and its devices. For security we will discuss Virus protection, user passwords, firewalls, data encryption, and what physical security measures may need to be used. When designing the backup plan we will discuss capacity, how it will be done, can it sustain growth, frequency, and how and where it will be stored (on campus, off campus, or both). And lastly we will discuss the source of power and ventilation it will take to sustain the company’s new network. Network Design Introduction When...
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...Accountability Act (HIPAA), is a law within health care or human service organizations that prohibits group health plans and other organizations from discriminating against people because of factors relating to their health. These factors include but are not limited to: physical or mental conditions, medical history, past claims, prior health care received, and information pertaining to a person's genetics. The objective of the HIPAA regulation in 1996 was to protect a person's right regarding the release of personal information to unlicensed individuals. When this law went into effect, there were compliance deadlines that were set for all businesses that would be affected by the HIPAA law; the deadline was October of 2002. Some entities were allowed to file for a one-year extension of the deadline. Most organizations and businesses were given between 12 and 18 months to modify their operations and implement the changes as advised by experts. Many organizations didn't start implementing the HIPAA rule until after the 2005 Security Standards compliance date. Congress set harsh consequences for those individuals and organizations that were not expedient to adopting transmission standards and safeguarding medical information. One penalty for noncompliance with HIPAA standards for simple compliance breaches was $100 a person per violation; which could be maxed out at $25,000 per year per person. For any individual or organization that knowingly “misused” or “breached” the HIPAA standards...
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...EMERGING ROLES IN HIM National EHR Database Security Synthia Ross ITT Tech Online OLA 1- Managing Business Information Systems Professor Mikal Wilkerson July 27, 2013 Abstract In 2009, President Barack Obama declared that by 2014, all American health records would exist in an electronic format. As part of this undertaking, the federal government has budgeted $19.2 billion in incentives for medical institutions to invest in EHRs via the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). By making health records completely digital, we are entrusting our most private information to “cyber-space” and opening ourselves up to potential violations of privacy. It is imperative that everyone consider the new security issues faced when approaching data storage, transmission and retrieval from various electronic devices. HIPAA’s agenda was to establish privacy, security, and electronic standards for health care providers that handle different types of patient information. The accountability part of the act includes the penalties for breaches in medical privacy, disclosures of patient records by e-mail, or un-authorized network access. How will this mesh into the emerging National Electronics Health Records Database managed by the US Government? National EHR Database Privacy Since 1996, the U.S. government has been forcing the health care industry to take responsibility for the security and control of your personal health information (PHI) by requiring the protection...
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..."Does the EMR actually protect patient privacy and what are the regulatory ramifications in the US on EMR implementation?” Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW ANALYSIS I. MEDICAL RECORDS THEN AND NOW A. Paper-Based Medical Records VS. Electronic Medical Records B. Benefits, Potential Problems and Cost of the EMR II. HEALTH CARE PRIVACY LAW A. HIPAA 1.What is HIPAA? 2. HIPPA Privacy & Security B. HIPAA and EMR III. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO PROTECT PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY/ PRIVACY? A. Why Should Patient Privacy Be Afforded Privacy Protection Regulation? B. Patient Privacy Within EMR IV. SPANNING THE MILES Intranet & Extranet Software & IM/IT CONCLUSION GLOSSARY REFERENCES Introduction: Healthcare companies all over the world are slowly recognizing the benefits on an EMR. Although EMR’s were implemented over 30 years ago but as of 2006 fewer than 10% of hospitals were utilizing the system. In 2009 the he U.S. Department of Health and Human Services enacted a privacy rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in an attempt to protect the privacy of patients medical records. But one question still arises; “Does the EMR actually protect patient privacy and what are the regulatory ramifications in the US on EMR implementation?” In this paper I will address EMR, patient privacy and the regulatory ramifications of EMR implementation. Literature Review The literature shows that there is...
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...Act, HIPAA. For the purpose of the exercise, this document will examine a typical visit to the doctor’s office. The focus will be to identify the various organizational, administrative, physical and technical safeguards that a doctor’s office should have in place to protect protected health information (PHI) as well as provide guidance in needed areas for compliance. In particular, the paper’s focus pinpoints the ePHI although all health information, written and oral should be addressed with HIPAA. The importance of protecting the confidentiality of patient information requires a synergy of effort from IT, management and staff. Purpose The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed by Congress in 1996 and deals with security of healthcare information (HIPAA Administrative Simplification Statute and Rules, n.d.). The HIPAA regulations apply to health care providers who transmit any health information electronically, health plans (including Medicare and Medicaid programs), health care clearinghouses and healthcare business associates (Unknown, 2013). HIPAA defines a health care provider as a provider of medical or health services or any other person or organization who furnishes, bills, or is paid for health care in the normal course of business (Unknown, 2013). The intention is to protect the individual’s privacy and confidentiality throughout the gathering, transmitting and storing of healthcare information. The various components of HIPAA cover...
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...HIPAA COW Risk Analysis & Risk Management Toolkit Networking Group Guide for the HIPAA COW Risk Analysis & Risk Management Toolkit Disclaimers This Guide and the HIPAA COW Risk Analysis & Risk Management Toolkit (Toolkit) documents are Copyright by the HIPAA Collaborative of Wisconsin (“HIPAA COW”). They may be freely redistributed in their entirety provided that this copyright notice is not removed. When information from this document is used, HIPAA COW shall be referenced as a resource. They may not be sold for profit or used in commercial documents without the written permission of the copyright holder. This Guide and the Toolkit documents are provided “as is” without any express or implied warranty. This Guide and the Toolkit documents are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. If you require legal advice, you should consult with an attorney. Unless otherwise noted, HIPAA COW has not addressed all state pre-emption issues related to this Guide and the Toolkit documents. Therefore, these documents may need to be modified in order to comply with Wisconsin/State law. The Toolkit provides an example HIPAA Security Risk Assessment and documents to support completing a Risk Analysis and Risk Mitigation Implementation Plan. While it covers a broad spectrum of the requirements under the HIPAA Security Rule and HITECH, it may not cover all measures needed to secure your patients’ electronic protected health information (ePHI). It...
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...Abstract This paper will explore the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and discuss the following questions: What is the purpose of HIPAA? How does the HIPAA law affect health information managers? What are some ethical issues to consider regarding HIPAA? Finally I will provide some examples of how HIPAA has changed the way the practice of health care and health information is managed. Health Information Portability and Accountability Act In 1996, the United States Congress enacted the Health Care Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and President Bill Clinton signed it into law. HIPAA was introduced as an act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes. (Wikipedia) Health Information Managers play critical roles in their day to day work load to ensure compliance with regulations that pertain to the privacy and security of patients’ medical records and information. After the HIPAA was passed in 1996, these HIM professionals were introduced to a new and changing forefront of legislative and regulatory requirements when it comes to dealing with the wealth of...
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...their databases to developers and entrepreneurs? Do you agree with this strategy? Why or why not? Essentially I can see why Amazon and eBay opened up their databases to the aspiring developers and entrepreneurs seeing as in business friendly competition is a very beneficial thing especially in the event that the competition fails in its endeavors. Not to mention some very bright aspiring developers can benefit from such actions and make open software that these companies can get and replicate on their own websites. However from a security stand point I see this as a gross violation of personal information and trends which are pulled from data mining and other activities not to mention the fact that crackers are skilled social engineers and have been trained to get information from people and opening up such a vast database could have serious consequences in the event that it ends up in the wrong hands. 2. What business factors are causing Google to move slowly in opening up its databases? Do you agree with its go-slow strategy? Why or why not? Google is seeing a drop in business as a result of other search providers starting up and providing better services than they are. Google’s operations have often been regarded as obtuse and stale. Like eBay and Amazon, Google can benefit from fresh ideas from aspiring developers and entrepreneurs but Google is all too aware of the security risks that have happened previously and have been reluctant to open their databases. Google...
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...iTrust Database Software Security Assessment Security Champions Corporation (fictitious) Assessment for client Urgent Care Clinic (fictitious) Amy Wees, Brooks Rogalski, Kevin Zhang, Stephen Scaramuzzino and Timothy Root University of Maryland University College Author Note Amy Wees, Brooks Rogalski, Kevin Zhang, Stephen Scaramuzzino and Timothy Root, Department of Information and Technology Systems, University of Maryland University College. This research was not supported by any grants. Correspondence concerning this research paper should be sent to Amy Wees, Brooks Rogalski, Kevin Zhang, Stephen Scaramuzzino and Timothy Root, Department of Information and Technology Systems, University of Maryland University College, 3501 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, MD 20783. E-mail: acnwgirl@yahoo.com, rogalskibf@gmail.com, kzhang23@gmail.com, sscaramuzzino86@hotmail.com and Chad.Root@gmail.com Abstract The healthcare industry, taking in over $1.7 trillion dollars a year, has begun bringing itself into the technological era. Healthcare and the healthcare industry make up one of the most critical infrastructures in the world today and one of the most grandiose factors is the storage of information and data. Having to be the forerunner of technological advances, there are many changes taking place to streamline the copious amounts of information and data into something more manageable. One major change in the healthcare industry has been the implementation...
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...Gwendolyn Bradley Hsm/230 2/22/14 Marcella Dowdell The impact of HIPAA on the delivery of human services! I have been a medical assistant for 15 years and HIPAA is a regulation/law that I have had to read over and over again. HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, this act was passed in 1996 two year after that I became a medical assistant. HIPAA requires the United States health and human services to issue rules protecting the privacy of medical information. This information can be found on the Health and Human Service website. www.hhs.gov The HIPAA privacy rules were issued by the HHS to cover a number of types of companies and can affect human service organizations as health care providers, business associates or employers. The purpose of the rational of this act is to prevent any human service organization covered by the rule from sharing personal medical information without removing all details that could be used to identify the person . For example, a doctor's office that put a patient's name and medical history up on its website would be in violation of the rule or if a nurse is having a conversation with a co- worker about a patient and she shares all the patients personal information. The companies covered include any organization or person that shares medical information electronically for purposes such as authorizing benefits or medical referrals. This can include health insurance plans, health...
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...CSIA302 Final Exam Paper Jeff Dimond In order to meet the clients requirements they must first identify what it is that they will need. They must invest in a sound security system to prevent loss of information to include their customers personal information. This security system must also meet the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requirements. They must also invest in new equipment in order to continue being efficient and successful. After the transition the dentist will be fully capable of doing every aspect of their business either in the office, at the schools or where ever they may find themselves. The first step that the IT department will need to identify is what will they need for their network. This will consist of both their internal networks at all five offices, but also have access to the data on their network while at customers homes, the senior citizen centers and as well as the schools where they do work. This ability to connect to the network while on the road will allow them to process payments as well as being able to access customer history while out of the office. By connecting the different offices together and accessing the networks from outside the office they will need to create a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). While MANs are expensive to operate and can be over kill for a dentist office (Metropolitan Area Network, n.d.), they can replicate the process through the use of a VPN server. This will make each location...
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...and Patient Privacy Introduction Confidentiality is defined as a promise that limits access to certain information. With the increase use of technology it is believed that confidential information is at greater risk of being shared with the world. In recent news there have been many cases of people personal photos and information being leaked to the public. With the healthcare industry following in the footsteps of so many others and now going to electronic file databases the threat of patient’s personal information being leaked is upon us. Therefore it is imperative that proper precautions are taken to ensure the security and safety of information that is shares from patients. Issues and its impact on the population Patient confidentiality is a major concern for healthcare professionals, without it many would not have anyone to care for. Patients have a right to feel they can trust their doctors, nurses or anyone they have to share personal information with. In the past prior to the current HIPAA laws patients information seems to be public knowledge. This lead many not to seek care when issues arose, only home remedies were used and many people were dying because of the lack of care. It also assures patients that are worried about being stigmatized for certain condition that there information will not be disclosed unless consent is given by the patient. I believe this concern is shared by many but more by our older generations that have lived during a time that...
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