HIPAA Tip:
Security Rule Delay
[Posted 01/09/03]

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Physicians may have heard that the government delayed the publication of HIPAA’s final security rule. This delay will not, however, affect a physician’s duty to take appropriate security measures by April 14, when the privacy rule goes into effect. Since the privacy rule has a general requirement that protected health information be received, maintained, and sent in a secure fashion, physicians will need to look at the physical and technical security of their offices and make necessary changes before the April 14 deadline. Some of the questions to ask are: Are the locks on the doors secure? Who has the keys? Who has access to areas where sensitive information is kept? Do you have regularly updated anti-virus software on your computers? Do you have secure passwords?

For an overview of HIPAA’s privacy rule, read ON CALL document #1600. ON CALL documents are available free to members at CMA’s members only website, http://www.calphys.org/logon. Nonmembers can purchase ON CALL documents for $2 per page at CMA's online bookstore, http://www.calphys.org/bookstore.

To find a HIPAA workshop near you, click here.

Contact: CMA's HIPAA Hotline, 415/882-3311 or legalinfo@cmanet.org.

Previous HIPAA Tips:

HIPAA Tip: Using Patient Names

HIPAA Tip: Using Reminder Postcards

HIPAA Tip: Extension Does Not Apply to Privacy Rule

HIPAA Tip: Inpatient/Outpatient Privacy Notice Requirements Differ

HIPAA Tip: The Extension Deadline Has Passed—Now What?