The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has developed an array of new tools to educate consumers and health care providers about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules.

Many consumers are unfamiliar with their rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule.  With that in mind, OCR has posted a series of factsheets, also available in eight languages, to inform consumers about their rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. These materials are available on OCR’s website at: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers.

The fact sheets compliment a set of seven consumer-facing videos released earlier this year on OCR’s YouTube channel.  An additional video, The HIPAA Security Rule, has been designed for providers in small practices and offers an overview of how to establish basic safeguards to protect patient information and comply with the Security Rule’s requirements. The videos are available on the HHS OCR YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/USGovHHSOCR.

OCR has also launched three modules for health care providers on compliance with various aspects of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, available at Medscape.org:

1. Patient Privacy: A Guide for Providers

http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/781892?src=ocr

2. HIPAA and You: Building a Culture of Compliance

http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/762170?src=ocr

3. Examining Compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule

http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/763251?src=ocr

The Medscape modules offer free Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for physicians and Continuing Education (CE) credits for health care professionals.

For more information, please visit http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy.

Essentia Health facilities receive the HIMSS State 7 Ambulatory EHR Award. The clinics were evaluated based on measures including their ability to offer patient care using automated patient charts and share clinical data via health information exchanges. Click here for more information.

REACH has posted a new Webinar.  Go to the HealthIT page to find out more on this Webinar.

REACH has posted new training opportunities. Go to the REACH page to find out more about their upcoming Privacy & Security Bootcamps and Meaningful Use Bootcamps.

The links for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program have been updated for both Eligible Professionals (EP’s) and Eligible Hospitals (EH’s) to attest for the 2012 program year.  The date for EH’s to attest has been extended until 2/28/2013. Go to the Medicaid IT page for more information.