The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights will be begin phase two of audits of covered entities which includes dental offices.
While a dental practice would be considered a “covered entity” if they use an electronic claims solution with a third party, using electronic claims is not the only thing that would define an office as a “covered entity”.
For example, an office would also be a covered entity when they work with an IT company, practice management company or other situation where protected health information is being shared or accessed for business purposes.
If your practice receives an OCR communication regarding an audit, you must comply by providing documentation that demonstrates you’re in compliance (e.g., security risk assessments, policies, procedures, training records and business associate agreements).
For additional information on phase two, visit HHS.gov (http://www.hhs.gov/hipaa) or ADA.org ( http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/march/government-could-audit-dentists-for-hipaa-compliance)
The Wisconsin Dental Association partners with PerCSoft and Hightail for your HIPAA compliance and secure email solutions. Contact The Digital Dental Record at 800-243-4675 for more information.
The ADA Complete HIPAA Compliance Kit (J598) is available for purchase at http://ebusiness.ada.org/productcatalog/596/HIPAA/J598. Member cost is $300 for a savings of $150.
