The Chicago-based Durable Medical Equipment Provider (DME) and specialist therapeutic footwear supplier Sapphire Patient Care has had its HIPAA compliance program assessed and has been determined to be adhering to the necessary regulatory standards of the Privacy Rule, Security Rule, Breach Notification Rule, and Omnibus Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the HITECH Act.

Compliance with the HIPAA Rules is a requirement for healthcare organizations that conduct transactions electronically and vendors that provide products and services to the healthcare industry that require content with individually identifiable protected health information.

To ensure compliance with all relevant provisions of the HIPAA Rules, Sapphire Patient Care partnered with Compliancy Group and used the company’s proven HIPAA compliance methodology and tracked the compliance journey using Compliancy’ Groups proprietary software solution, The Guard.

“Patient Care” is not only in our company name, but also is one of our pillars.  We strive to provide the premier level of service that all patients deserve.  HIPAA is vital for patients because it requires healthcare providers, health plans, business associates, and healthcare clearinghouses to implement security measures to ensure sensitive health information remains private and confidential,” said Sapphire Patient Care.

After completing Compliancy Group’s 6-stage risk analysis and remediation process, Sapphire Patient Care’s HIPAA compliance program was assessed by Compliancy Group’s HIPAA compliance experts who verified Sapphire Patient Care’s good faith effort toward HIPAA compliance and awarded the company the HIPAA Seal of Compliance.

“As an industry-leading DME company, we have infinite potential liability for any HIPAA violations.  We are dedicated to the stringent HIPAA regulations related to security and privacy rules and work diligently and proactively to make sure our business partners and clients are safe,” said Sapphire Patient Care. “Our main goal is to support health systems and work alongside them to provide better patient outcomes. We are proud to play our part in HIPAA compliancy for the overall well-being of our patients.”

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The Troy, MI-based integrated financial services and business advisory firm Rehmann has been confirmed as having implemented an effective HIPAA compliance program and is fully compliant with all appropriate provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Rules.

As a provider of accounting and assurance, business solutions and outsourcing, specialized consulting, and wealth management services for HIPAA-covered entities, Rehmann is classed as a business associate under HIPAA. To ensure compliance with the necessary regulatory standards of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, Security Rule, Breach Notification Rule, Omnibus Rule, and the HITECH Act, Rehmann partnered with Compliancy Group and used the company’s proven HIPAA methodology and proprietary software solution to track its progress on its journey toward HIPAA compliance.

After completing the program, which included a 6-stage risk analysis and remediation process, Compliancy Group assessed Rehmann and verified its good faith effort to achieve HIPAA compliance and awarded the company the “HIPAA Seal of Compliance.” The Seal of Compliance is issued to organizations that have implemented an effective HIPAA compliance program through use of Compliancy Group’s software solution – The Guard.

The HIPAA Seal of Compliance demonstrates to current and future clients that a company is committed to compliance with the HIPAA Rules and has implemented the policies, procedures, and technical solutions to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of individuals’ protected health information.

“Showing clients that we understand and comply with HIPAA requirements and are qualified to handle PHI is a differentiator for the firm,” said Rehmann CEO Randy Rupp. “Exhibiting unwavering integrity is one of our core values because our internal and external clients trust us with the most confidential details of their business and personal lives.”

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Most dental practices are HIPAA-covered entities and are required to comply with the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Patients are increasingly aware of the need for HIPAA compliance, and with cyberattacks on the healthcare industry increasing, full compliance with the HIPAA Rules has never been more important.

To ensure that no aspect of HIPAA compliance was overlooked, Rhinelander, Wisconsin-based Northwoods Family Dental followed a recommendation of the American Dental Alliance, partnered with Compliancy Group, and used its HIPAA methodology to ensure the practice was fully compliant.

Compliancy Group has developed a 6-stage HIPAA risk analysis and remediation process, with clients able to use its proprietary HIPAA compliance software solution – The Guard – to track progress throughout their compliance journey. After following the program, Compliancy Group’s compliance coaches assessed Northwoods Family Dental’s HIPAA program and recently confirmed that Northwoods Family Dental has created an effective compliance program and was fully compliant with the standards of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, HIPAA Omnibus Rule, and the HITECH Act.

Northwoods Family Dental’s good faith effort toward compliance saw the small family dental practice awarded the HIPAA Seal of Compliance, which demonstrates to current and prospective patients that the practice is committed to ensuring the privacy and security of patients’ protected health information.

“Our company is proud to have completed advanced HIPAA training to help further protect our patients and learn about the importance of patient privacy to help achieve high-quality care,” said Northwoods Family Dental “As a small-town family practice continues to grow, we want to ensure the practice and patients have the best experience by having technology but also protecting patient’s health information to a high degree. We look forward to serving our community!”

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Compliancy Group has confirmed the Dubai-based healthcare technology startup Wasfago has implemented an effective HIPAA compliance program and has met the required standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Rules.

In Dubai, UAE, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) provides strategic oversight for the complete health sector and conducts activities to enhance private sector engagement. In 2018, the DHA established the Health Informatics & Smart Health Department, which implemented a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital health in the emirates.

Working within that framework, Wasfago Portal LLC has leveraged advanced technologies to create healthcare solutions to meet the needs of Dubai residents and address their unmet needs. One of the solutions developed by Wasfago is a health app that allows patients to fill their prescriptions remotely and have them delivered promptly, without having to attend and wait at a pharmacy.

Since the Wasfago app collects and transmits healthcare data, it is vital for privacy and security controls to be implemented to ensure that information cannot be intercepted by unauthorized individuals. To confirm effective privacy and security safeguards had been fully implemented, Wasfago partnered with Compliancy Group and used its HIPAA compliance software and methodology to ensure its app, policies, and procedures met the minimum standards of the HIPAA Rules.

After successfully completing that process, Compliancy Group’s compliance experts assessed Wasfago’s good faith effort toward HIPAA compliance and confirmed it had implemented an effective HIPAA compliance program.

“Wasfago is pleased to announce that it has achieved compliance with the mandated standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (through the use of Compliancy Group’s proprietary HIPAA methodology, and HIPAA Seal of Compliance,” said Wasfago. “Wasfago would like to express its gratitude to the Dubai Health Authority (Health Informatics and smart health department) for the incredible support it has offered, which led to acquiring this HIPAA verification; making Wasfago the first company in the UAE to become verified under HIPAA.”

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Patients want a convenient way to communicate with their healthcare providers; however, care must be taken when choosing a communication platform as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act covers patient communications and many platforms are not compliant with the HIPAA Rules.

On November 18, Compliancy Group will be hosting a webinar to explain how HIPAA applies to patient communications and the steps that must be taken to make communications HIPAA compliant. During the webinar, attendees will also learn about the correct way to respond to patient reviews, will be provided with tips to effectively communicate via text and email, and how to become and remain HIPAA compliant.

Attendees will also be introduced to some communication tools that can help them effectively communicate with patients

Webinar Details:

Thursday, November 18, 2021

2:00 p.m. ET ¦ 1:00 p.m CT ¦ 12:00 p.m MT ¦ 11:00 a.m. PT

Host: Compliancy Group, in collaboration with Curogram and Phone.com

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

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“Covered Entities” are required to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Covered entities are healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, which must ensure they are fully compliant with the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Omnibus, and Breach Notification Rules.

There is a common misconception that HIPAA only applies to these entities, when compliance is mandatory for virtually all companies and individuals who work in healthcare in any capacity. There have been many fines imposed on organizations and companies that did not believe compliance was necessary or failed to fully grasp what compliance entailed.

Any company or individual that either handles protected health information (PHI) or otherwise comes into contact with PHI is required to comply with the HIPAA Rules, even if they do not fall under the classification of covered entity. That includes any business that provides goods or services to covered entities that requires contact with PHI.

To clear up confusion about whether compliance with the HIPAA Rules is required, Compliancy Group will be hosting a webinar on September 22, 2021 and will explain to whom the HIPAA Rules apply.

If you are in any doubt about whether you or your company need to be compliant with the HIPAA Rules, be sure to attend the upcoming webinar.

Follow the link below to sign up from the webinar to discover if you are currently at risk of a financial penalty for noncompliance and, if so, what you need to do to become HIPAA compliant.

Webinar Details:

Do I Need to be HIPAA Compliant?

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

2:00 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT

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