The Consequences of HIPAA Violation and How to Prevent Them

It was a bit shocking for the patient who received a bill from a Sentara Hospital in 2017. The patient found that another patient’s ePHI is revealed in the bill. Undoubtedly it was a breach, so the patient-reported this to the OCR in 2017. However, Sentara believes that the vulnerability may only affect 8 people and reported to the OCR. But after the investigation, it was found that 577 people were affected. In 2019, OCR penalized $2.175 million to the Santera Hospital for violating HIPAA. 

The consequences of HIPAA violations can be devastating like Sentara Hospital. Let’s discuss the possible consequences if you violated HIPAA. 

What Is HIPAA Violation 

In a simple world, HIPAA violation refers to not complying with HIPAA rules and regulations. HIPAA stands for “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.” It is formulated to safeguard ePHI data of the patient. Violating the HIPAA policy and procedure is simply violating the HIPAA. 

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What Are the Consequences of HIPAA Violation 

The HIPAA Violation can be divided into two halves. One is a willful violation and another is an unintentional violation. The penalties are higher for the unintentional violation and lower for the willful violation. OCR divided HIPAA violations into 4 tier. The penalties vary depending on the tier of the violation. These 4 tiers and their penalties are 

 Tier 1: A violation that the covered entity was unaware of and will not have realistically avoided, had an affordable amount of care had been taken to abide by HIPAA Rules. The penalties for this violation is $100 per violation up to $50,000. 

 Tier 2: A violation that the covered entity should be alert to but couldn’t have avoided even with an affordable amount of care. (but falling in need of neglectfulness of HIPAA Rules). The penalties for this violation is $1,000 per violation up to $50,000

 Tier 3: A violation suffered as an on the spot results of “willful neglect” of HIPAA Rules, in cases where an effort has been made to correct the violation. The penalties for this violation is $10,000 per violation up to $50,000

 Tier 4: A violation of HIPAA Rules constituting delinquency, where no attempt has been made to correct the violation. The penalties for this violation is $50,000 per violation.  

How Can You Prevent It 

No one wants to violate HIPAA, but due to error in the management and documentation, it happens in most cases. The only solution is the robust software that can help HealthCare professionals keep pace and keep everything focused. HIPAA Ready, the only app provides a centralized HIPAA compliance management system. Without using separate files and applications, HIPAA Ready can solve all HIPAA compliance issues on one platform. Besides these, the software makes it possible to easily track all HIPAA compliance regulations and rules in a centralized place, so you never violate HIPAA. Here is how HIPAA Ready help you prevent HIPAA violation 

Keep Everything in One Place 

Staying HIPAA compliance means that you must follow a number of documents and procedures. However, managing large files and procedures often leads to error and creates compliance issues. HIPAA Ready eliminates this problem by bringing all the HIPAA compliance modules in one place. With a single app, healthcare providers can manage, check and keep track of all the modules from a single centralized location. 

Keep You Updated 

HIPAA policies and procedures are subject to change from time to time. If you don’t keep it up to date, you might be at risk of serious violations. HIPAA Ready provides a centralized policy and procedure section where your administrator can update HIPAA policy and everyone can check it from their mobile or desktop application. As a result, you and your team will never miss any update and maintain compliance. 

Create Knowledge Base 

While managing HIPAA, it means the knowledge for each of the policies and procedures is mandatory. With HIPAA Ready, you can keep all the important information regarding HIPAA compliance in a centralized place. Moreover, the app also provides a checklist that your employees can use to check whether their actions comply with HIPAA rules and regulations at any time. 

Enable Prompt Action 

Sentara hospital could reduce the fine if they correctly measure the impact of HIPAA violations and take immediate action. In HIPAA compliance, taking prompt action is not an option rather it is mandatory. Even higher fines are applied if you don’t report promptly. HIPAA Ready makes it easy for healthcare providers. This app will send notifications about the risk concern to the proper authority, this concern notice notifies the internal audit and risk management team. The internal audit, check the risk, investigate violations, and use HIPAA Ready to immediately take prompt corrective actions. All these activities are documented properly in the HIPAA Ready app, as a result, it becomes so easy to show evidence when required. Isn’t it great? 

None of them wants to be fined by the OCR for the HIPAA violation. Thanks to this amazing app that makes it easy to stay HIPAA compliant. If you want to see how this robust app can help you in HIPAA compliance hit the “Contact Us” button now and let us know your queries.