Healthcare IT is the growth industry right now, and the need for guidance in regard to privacy and security is huge. Why? With new federal incentives and penalties tied to the HITECH Act, HIPAA, and the implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, medical practices and healthcare systems are implementing new software at breakneck speed. Yet privacy and security considerations are often an afterthought, putting healthcare organizations at risk of fines and damage to their reputations.  

Healthcare Information Privacy and Security: Regulatory Compliance and Data Security in the Age of Electronic Health Records outlines the new regulatory regime, and it also provides IT professionals with the processes and protocols, standards, and governance tools they need to maintain a secure and legal environment for data and records. It’s a concrete resource that will help you understand the issues affecting the law and regulatory compliance, privacy, and security in the enterprise.  

As healthcare IT security expert Bernard Peter Robichau II shows, the success of a privacy and security initiative lies not just in proper planning but also in identifying who will own the implementation and maintain technologies and processes. From executive sponsors to system analysts and administrators, a properly designed security program requires that that the right people are assigned to the right tasks and have the tools they need. Robichau explains how to design and implement that program with an eye toward long-term success. Putting processes and systems in place is, of course, only the start. Robichau also shows how to manage your security program and maintain operational support including ongoing maintenance and policy updates. (Because regulations never sleep!) 

This book will help you devise solutions that include:

• Identity and access management systems
• Proper application design
• Physical and environmental safeguards
• Systemwide and client-based security configurations
• Safeguards for patient data
• Training and auditing procedures
• Governance and policy administration 

Healthcare Information Privacy and Security is the definitive guide to help you through the process of maintaining privacy and security in the healthcare industry. It will help you keep health information safe, and it will help keep your organization—whether local clinic or major hospital system—on the right side of the law.

What you’ll learn

• The basics of HITECH, HIPAA, and other federal laws driving change in healthcare IT
• How to identify the core issues of privacy and security in a healthcare environment.
• The steps required to develop and execute a security project plan.
• The technologies and tools available to aid in the process of deploying a secure EHR system.
• The core regulatory issues and practical matters of security in a healthcare environment.
• The frameworks and methodology that will assist in tackling the issues of privacy and security.
• The technologies impacted by matters of privacy and security along with proposals for managing them effectively.

Who this book is for

Healthcare professionals who work in information technology, information security, health information management, as well as in the more specialized areas of privacy, compliance, and informatics. The book is also useful for consultants working in the field of information security who require a better understanding of the challenges facing the healthcare industry, EMR Vendors who are tasked with guiding their customers through a secure implementation of their product, and technology professionals seeking to make an entry into the world of Healthcare IT.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction: The Long-Awaited Manual

Chapter 2. Waking the Sleeping Giant: A Brief History of Healthcare IT

Chapter 3. It's Not Just HIPAA: Legislating Privacy and Security

Chapter 4. Assembling the Team: Bringing the Right Human Resources to the Table

Chapter 5. Sifting Through the Wreckage: The Security Audit

Chapter 6. Review Your Policies and Develop a Plan: Strategies for Success

Chapter 7. Identity and Access Management: Know Your User Base

Chapter 8. Application Design: Maximum Efficiency or Minimum Necessary?

Chapter 9. Access Validation Process

Chapter 10. Physical and Environmental Safeguards: Security Beyond the Ones and Zeros

Chapter 11. Systemwide and Client-Based Security Configuration: Making Sure All the Pieces Fit Together

Chapter 12. Safeguarding Patient Data from Prying Eyes: Knowing Where Your PHI Resides

Chapter 13. People, the Most Crucial Element: Training the Masses to Respect the System

Chapter 14. Business Associates: The Human Resources Just Beyond Your Reach

Chapter 15. Security Project vs. Operational Support

Chapter 16. Putting the Plan in Place: Ongoing Maintenance and Life after the Security Project

Appendix A. Sample Business Associate Agreement

Appendix B. Sample Rules of Behavior for Privileged User Accounts

Appendix C. Breach Notification Process