Action: Whitepapers

HIPAA Is Not Done: How HIPAA & New Healthcare Initiatives Intersect by Randa Upham, Consulting Editor, Phoenix Health Systems
We must expand the "HIPAA culture" concept beyond organizational focus on compliance deadlines.

Communicating to Patients about HIPAA Privacy: Have We Achieved Compliance or Complacency? by Randa Upham, Consulting Editor, & D'Arcy Guerin Gue, Executive Vice President
In our quest for compliance, are we meeting the needs of our patients in this new HIPAA environment?

The Electronic Health Record: Will It Become a Reality? by Randa Upham, Principal, Phoenix Health Systems, April 2004
With the Y2K bug resolved and HIPAA becoming a way of life within the industry, is it now possible to reinvest energies into improving one of healthcare's biggest challenges – establishing an electronic healthcare record?

Summary Analysis: The Final HIPAA Security Rule by Tom Grove, Vice President, Phoenix Health Systems, February 2003
The rule emphasizes security management principles and broad management controls as the primary vehicles for protecting patient health information.

11th Hour HIPAA: How Can You Meet the Deadlines? by D’Arcy Guerin Gue, with Tom Grove, Phoenix Health Systems; Health Management Technology, January 2003
It's the 11th hour of HIPAA privacy compliance implementation -- time to "let the work teach you how to do it."

Understanding HHS' December 2002 HIPAA Privacy Guidance by Steve Fox, Rachel Wilson, & John Shire, Esqs., Pepper Hamilton
This article summarizes the Guidance and discusses some of its significant highlights.

Understanding the New Privacy Rule Modifications by Steve Fox, Esq., & Rachel Wilson, Esq., Pepper Hamilton LLP, August 2002
Although the modifications represent significant changes to the Privacy Rule, they do not vary significantly from the modifications first proposed by HHS in March. This whitepaper summarizes certain key subject areas affected by the modifications to the Privacy Rule.

Patient Access: "Getting HIPAA Right" by John Thompson, Phoenix Health Systems, July 2002
Few departments in HCOs will be impacted as directly as those that provide patient access services. Fortunately, there are practical, inexpensive solutions that access managers can deploy to achieve HIPAA compliance, some of which have an added benefit of enhancing delivery of customer service.

The Step Child of HIPAA Compliance: Culture Change
by D'Arcy Guerin Gue, Exec. Vice President, Phoenix Health Systems, March 2002
The practical side of HIPAA culture change.

Shaping Up Your Business Associates -- A Case Study on Compliance and Better Relationship Management
by DeDee Birdsall, Asst. Vice President, American Republic Insurance Company, February 2002
In our organization's attempt to tackle Business Associates, we identified methods for logically breaking down this process into more manageable pieces and have been steadily working at the process for several months. Hopefully, this document will provide some insight into one method for complying with all privacy laws and building and maintaining better Business Associate relationships.

HIPAAguidance: The Missile Disassembled
by D'Arcy Guerin Gue, Executive Vice President, Phoenix Health Systems
On July 6, 2001, the Department of Health and Human Services issued the first of "several technical assistance" materials it has promised on the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The Guidance reaffirms that the Privacy Rule is needed because the protections provided by "the old system of paper records in locked file cabinets is not enough...under the current patchwork of laws, personal health information can be distributed -- without either notice or consent -- for reasons that have nothing to do with a patient's medical treatment or health care reimbursement."

Capitalizing on HIPAA Compliance
by Ellen G. Lanser, with Joe Pokorney

HIPAA regs: National Identifiers -- How They Fit into the HIPAA Puzzle
by D'Arcy Guerin Gue, Exec. VP, Director, Phoenix Health Systems

Transactions and Code Sets: For Geeks Only?
by D'Arcy Guerin Gue, Exec. Vice President, Phoenix Health Systems
With the publication of the final Transactions and Code Sets Standards (TCS) in August, 2000, many healthcare professionals who once couldn't tell ASC X12N from ASCII text, now need to learn enough to guide, or at least support, HIPAA TCS implementations within their organization.

WEDI SNIP Compliance Whitepapers & Presentations: