Healthcare Leads in Data Breaches:Transparency Needed

Posted August 9, 2010 07:34 AM by Jack    

Healthcare is lagging behind banking and finance in compliance.  While it is true that HIPAA HITECH is new to a lot of business associates and sub-contractors the majority of the breaches are at covered entities with some help from their BAs.

As you get down to the level of business associates and sub-contractors the current level of compliance is probably less than 10%.  Many have never heard of HIPAA or HITECH.  This is a huge problem we feel can only be solved through the application of 21st century technology, ie cloud computing, and 21st century methodology, ie task centered process.  Putting a canned manual up on the shelf or a CD-rom in you desk drawer is not compliance and it sure isn't transparency.

With the new proposed rules the entire chain of responsibility from top to bottom need to work together to prevent these data breaches.  This requires transparency up and down the chain.  You need to see the level of compliance of your business partners in real time.  This is why we invented the Compliance Meter^tm .  You have to identify your metrics, embed the data collection into the work process, and then post the Compliance Meter^tm for all to see.