HIPAA Privacy and Security Manual for Employers Helps Companies Comply with Healthcare Legislation Requirements.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2004 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Selects ActiveHIPAA Package For Producer Network ActiveHIPAA, Inc., healthcare publishers, has just announced the release of its HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996, Public Law 104-191) Also known as the "Kennedy-Kassebaum Act," this U.S. law protects employees' health insurance coverage when they change or lose their jobs (Title I) and provides standards for patient health, Privacy and Security Manual for Employers, a comprehensive implementation tool designed to assist employers implement compliance of their group health plans with the complex HIPAA Privacy Rule and HIPAA Security Rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS . The HIPAA Privacy Rule imposes sweeping new privacy requirements for the privacy of health information. The HIPAA Privacy and Security Manual for Employers is co-authored by Karen E. Glover of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol (www.prestongates.com) and Michael W. Hubbard of Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, L.L.P. (www.smithlaw.com). Hubbard and Glover also co-authored the American Medical Association's HIPAA Policies and Procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental Desk Reference (AMA (Automatic Message Accounting) The recording and reporting of telephone calls within a telephone system. It includes the calling and called parties and start and stop times of the call. Press 2003), which received a "Four Star" rating from Doody's Review Service. This brand new, 800-page comprehensive resource brings unique guidance on complying with the new HIPAA rules. The ActiveHIPAA package provides customizable multi-media content including a Quick Reference Guide to facilitate a gap analysis, a 10-step action plan, a sample set of privacy forms, policies and procedures essential for HIPAA compliance, an interactive CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). digital library containing over 150 customizable documents, and an employee training video in VHS (Video Home System) A half-inch, analog videocassette recorder (VCR) format introduced by JVC in 1976 to compete with Sony's Betamax, introduced a year earlier. or DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. . Step-by-step implementation tips are included throughout the manual, addressing issues of particular concern to employers. "With the April 14, 2004 deadline for "small plan" compliance approaching, employers are looking for a solution that will both educate them on what HIPAA requires and also offer step-by-step implementation guidance and tools," says the co-author, Michael Hubbard. "Penalties for violations of the rules are serious and can include civil and criminal fines and penalties. Violations may make an employer a target for lawsuits and result in adverse publicity in the community," he added. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina selected the ActiveHIPAA package as part of the health insurer's commitment to helping employer groups in North Carolina tackle the very challenging compliance hurdles. "Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina reviewed HIPAA compliance offerings and found ActiveHIPAA's multi-media platform for implementing and documenting a HIPAA compliance program for employer group health plans to be superior to other evaluated reference manuals and service providers with their own products," said Harry Reynolds, vice president of HIPAA and information compliance officer, BCBSNC BCBSNC Bluecross Blueshield North Carolina . For more information on the HIPAA Privacy and Security Manual for Employers, or to purchase the manual, visit www.activehipaa.com. The manual is produced by Active Data Services at www.activedataservices.com. |
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