HIPAA 20th anniversary: It’s still a complicated area. 6 articles that can help

That casual conversation between the front office manager and a patient? Could be a HIPAA violation.

Those selfies patients love to post? Could be a HIPAA violation.

Failure to shred those private forms? Could be a HIPAA violation.

Dental and medical office staffs have been striving to make sure they’re HIPAA compliant for over 20 years now. Everyone should have it down by now, right?

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. But no one wants to get caught in a HIPAA violation. Sometimes it’s downright laziness. Other times, innocent oversight. Often, it’s an occurrence that doesn’t cause a practice any trouble at all … until it does. Throughout 2016, these authors shared HIPAA scenarios with dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants in an effort to help them comply.

The articles are written by HIPAA risk assessor Amy Wood, malpractice defense attorney Linda Garrett, dental consultant Marianne Harper, certified HIPAA professional Gene Fry, Certified Fraud Examiner Janice Janssen, RDH, MacPractice CEO Mark Hollis, and from a patient perspective, Lisa Newburger.

You’re welcome.

Click on the link or the photo to read each article.

Selfies, videos, and social media: Dancing with HIPAA regulation dangers in dental practices

The dark side of HIPAA compliance: 3 things health-care providers should know in 2016

Do your dental patients witness you violating HIPAA?

Do careless ‘low tech’ HIPAA breaches threaten patient privacy?

This might surprise you about HIPAA and your dental practice

Tips for staying ‘hip’ with HIPAA regulations for dental practices

5 things dentists absolutely must know about software encryption of ePHI to comply with HIPAA

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