Business Radio X’s Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors radio show
Donna was recently the guest on the show to talk about Why Is HIPAA Important To My Business She was there to discuss how Business Associates need to be prepared for HIPAA requirements. As the shows notes said:
What Do You Mean I Have to Be HIPAA Compliant?
While most of us are familiar with the term, HIPAA, that knowledge typically doesn’t extend past our signature on a form when we visit the doctor. Most people certainly don’t realize that being “HIPAA-compliant” stretches far beyond medical practices to anyone who has access to patient information. These companies are called “business associates” and include accountants, attorneys, HR professionals and more. On this show Donna Grindle of Kardon shares her expertise about what HIPAA is, how one can get, and remain, compliant. She is joined by Sean Joyce of Patientco who talks about his experience as a business associate as well.
It was great to have Sean there to speak about the things the team at Patientco does to handle both PCI and HIPAA compliance. Sean was able to compare the two and explain the difference. Between HIPAA and PCI within their business compliance program there is some crossover but HIPAA has way more to do because you have to deal with the people – it’s the people, people. Neither of the shows hosts, Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk and Ryan McPherson, work anywhere near the HIPAA environment. That means the conversation proved to be quite a test for Donna to not throw around all her TLAs. They stopped her when she did – no doubt!
Why Is HIPAA Important
So many business owners either don’t know, don’t care, or don’t understand that they should be asking “Why is HIPAA important to me?“. The clarifications in the law from the 2013 Omnibus Rules state clearly that you don’t have to sign a Business Associate Agreement to be a HIPAA Business Associate, you just have to do the work of a Business Associate. Also, ignoring HIPAA doesn’t really buy you anything. Eventually, something will go wrong or your clients will start to ask about your HIPAA programs. The OCR has made it clear more than once, don’t just tell me you are compliant – show me.
As any small business will eventually learn, the security protections of HIPAA just make good business sense. Many businesses will soon be asked to meet those types of requirements simply to protect the information and networks of their clients. Why is HIPAA important? It is important for your business, your clients, and, most importantly, your client’s patients.
We decided to consider this a bonus discussion for our podcast listeners. Hopefully, we will be able to get Sean on the show with us some time soon!
