Webinar on HIPAA for HR - Some Good News for Employers

About this Conference

Training Options Duration: 90 Minutes
Thursday, September 28, 2017 | 10:00 AM PDT | 01:00 PM EDT
Overview: Now that the HIPAA rules have been in place for more than a dozen years, the days of advice and counseling have been replaced by a hard-nosed enforcement attitude, where HHS OCR is ready to make health care organizations that violate the rules feel some pain for their actions, and employer-based health plans are no exception. In order to determine their HIPAA compliance obligations, employers need to go through an analysis of their health insurance offereings for their employees. Employers need to examine, is the plan insured or self insured, is it one plan or several, do they rely on an insurer for all the functions or do they use a third party administrator, and much more. Much of the determination of how to comply depends on how involved the employer is with the operation of the plan and the kinds of information the employer receives about the health plan.

One of the keys to compliance for health plans is recognizing that the health plan is a separate entity from the employer, and the appropriate controls and limitations must be in place to protect PHI from inappropriate use or disclosure. In most cases, the disclosure of "summary health information" to the employer is permitted under HIPAA this session will explore what "summary health information" is and how the exclusion works. Employer health plans must also be careful what information they ask for from employees, as genetic information is prohibited from consideration in the setting of rates or determination of eligibility for coverage. The definition of "genetic Information" under HIPAA and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act includes a wide variety of information about family history and more, which must be avoided by the health plan.

Why should you Attend: The HIPAA Privacy Rule governs the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI) by "covered entities." Covered entities are defined as health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers who transmit health information electronically using certain transactions . While the Privacy Rule does not directly regulate employers, the requirements apply to "group health plans" that are sponsored by many employers. Covered plans include those providing medical, dental, vision, pharmacy and other medical benefits. Flexible spending accounts also fall within the definition. The Privacy Rule specifically excludes from coverage disability plans, workers compensation plans and life insurance - despite potential coverage of medical service

Important Dates

• Early Bird September 27, 2017
• Conference dates 28 September 2017