HITECH Act /Omnibus Rule Enforcement Less than One Month Away

All organizations handling healthcare data have less than a month to comply with new privacy, security, enforcement and breach requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act. In January of this year, the federal department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued new regulations that extend the reach of federal healthcare privacy and security laws that went into effect on March 26, 2013, allowing a 180 day period for entities to come into compliance with most of the Omnibus Final Rule’s requirements. These regulations are extensive and include a whole new range of companies that service the healthcare industry. Covered entities and business associates must comply with the final rule by September 23, 2013.