Here's your guide to build a successful HIPAA compliance auditing and monitoring program This new edition of a best-selling book delivers the hands-on tools and guidance you need to conduct effective in-house audits and stay out off the government's radar. The timing couldn't be better---its release coincides with President Barack Obama's recent signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The Act puts new teeth into HIPAA enforcement, beefs up identity theft, breech notification, and business associate regulations, and puts every healthcare provider on notice that violations will not be tolerated. What can you do to be better prepared? The answer is simple: put a strong privacy and security audit plan in place and follow it to the letter. That may sound easier said than done, but with the right tools and buy-in support for your management team, it's the smart solution for compliance success. Guide to HIPAA Auditing, Second Edition, by noted HIPAA expert Margret Amatayakul, RHIA, CHPS, FHIMSS, is your blueprint for success. She uses practical examples from actual situations to demonstrate how you can lower risk exposure. The Guide: - Delivers a comprehensive combination of up-to-date information and tools to that facilitate HIPAA audit preparation and risk prevention - Explains how to conduct effective in-house audits that help ensure your facility is ready if an auditor knocks on the door - Includes new tools you can use to implement the sample plans, all of which are included on the CD-ROM - Provides valuable and up-to-date information you need to prepare for the American Health Information Management Associations' CHPS certification examination (certified in healthcare privacy and security) All of the forms and tools are included on the accompanying CD-ROM, so you can easily download and customize them and start using them right away. Includes updated information on: - Health information exchange - Identity and medical identity theft - Personal health records - Legal health records - State data breach notification laws - Special security challenges of portable devices, media, wireless networks, and other new health information technology Learn how to: - Build the business case for compliance assurance - Understand and communicate to all concerned the purpose and nature of auditing and monitoring for compliance with privacy and security measures - Construct an appropriately resourced privacy and security compliance assurance program - Use tools to effectively plan for, conduct, and document your audit and monitor privacy and security compliance - Close the feedback loop when potential issues arise and privacy and security compliance assurance improvements are needed - Identify and evaluate external resources for use in constructing your privacy and security compliance assurance program Author Margret Amatayakul, RHIA, CPHS, FHIMSS, is president of Margret\A Consulting, LLC, and co-founder and member of the board of examiners of Health IT Certification, LLC. She provides consulting services to hospitals, clinics, payers, health information exchange organizations, and federal advisory committees to help achieve clinical transformation through adoption of health information technology. She is the author of the first edition ofGuide to HIPAA Auditing, theNo-Hassle Guide to EHR Policies, theNo-Hassle Guide to EHR Implementation, all from HCPro, Inc., and is a frequent audio conference speaker. Perfect tool, no matter the healthcare setting Guide to HIPAA Auditing, Second Edition, is the right tool to measure HIPAA compliance across multiple settings, including hospital, physician practice, home health, long-term care, behavioral health and pharmacy. It is also applicable to business associate compliance with contractual agreements.