HIPAA HITECH Compliance Services: Covered Entities & Business Associates

The Compliance Cooperative (CO-OP)

A huge problem created by the HITECH Act is how to get hundreds of thousands of small covered entities and business associates (BAs) compliant with a program that meets the “reasonable and appropriate” standard set by HIPAA. The other problem is, how does a covered entity (CE) or BA get “satisfactory assurance” that those small BAs are compliant?
The HIPAA HITECH Compliance Cooperative (CO-OP) elegantly solves both problems for a large subset of these BAs. The criteria for belonging to a CO-OP are; members must share a common business model. Examples are physician practices, insurance brokers, coders, billers, and transcriptionists.
The model requires a “Master User” who, using the Prepare Plus tools and Helper supplied by Compliance Helper, develops a privacy and information security program tailored to their company or specialty. This program is set up on a CO-OP website where members may join and share the use of the program. The members must review and abide by the policies and procedures in the program but don’t have to go through what may be for them a time-consuming editing process. They receive read-only access so they may look at and print anything but they can’t change anything.
The members are enrolled in the maintenance program from Compliance Helper and they receive a monthly task list that they must accomplish to stay in compliance. In addition they receive updates and revisions to their policies, procedures, and forms as the standards change and evolve. This active program helps to avoid “willful neglect”.
The Master User may pass through their costs to their co-op members or in some cases supply them as a benefit. Compliance Helper requires that the Master User buy Prepare Plus for $1495 and Care Plus for $149.50 per month to create and maintain the template and charges a modest setup and monthly fee per user.   This is projected to be $125 setup and $35 per month.

Managing a Network of Business Associates

Cloud computing enables CH to link the CE and BA with tools and Helpers which can help the BA to attain and maintain compliance and give the CE a window into their performance. CH’s consultants interpret the standards and develop policy and procedures, forms, and reporting tools. A human Helper is assigned to guide the BA through a step by step process, providing advice and support.

Once they have attained initial compliance they move to maintenance mode. Every month they get a list of tasks they need to accomplish to stay in compliance. As standards evolve they get updates from CH. The BA is able to deliver this compliance performance reporting to all of their CEs through the Compliance Metertm.  The CE works with the CH consultant to establish their network of compliant BAs and if audited they can show that they have an active program in place to help their BA attain and maintain compliance at all times.