HIPAA & HITECH: A Primer for Law Firms

This program will enable legal professionals to understand the breadth and limits of medical record access provided by both HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) and the HITECH Act (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health).

How can Plaintiff firms avoid being required to pay "retail" for medical records? What records are available and how should they be retrieved? Are you better off with a Request for Medical Records or an Authorization for Release? What best benefits your client?

Covered Entities will learn what response is required based upon the received Request or Authorization. Is your Covered Entity compliant regarding what fees may be charged and how they are determined? Do you adequately safeguard Protected Health Information? 

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify and differentiate entities that are required to comply with HIPAA and HITECH

2. Identify information that is protected by HIPAA and HITECH as well as exceptions to this rule

3. Explain the regulation specific definition of "Personal Representative"

4. Differentiate Authorizations and Requests

5. Identify the benefits and burdens of submitting both an Authorization and Request in Injury Torts and Professional Negligence matters

6. Identify what response requirements and time limits apply

7. Explain the applicability of CIOX v. AZAR to properly formatted HITECH requests