HIPAA non-compliance passes information management as top health care concern

Hospitals and other care facilities have often ranked data and a need for document management software as a top priority in their operations. This is particularly true as many are striving to meet EHR adoption mandates and paperless guidelines. However, following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other legislative changes to health care, many are citing HIPAA compliance as their No. 1 concern going into the new year.

According to the recent Healthcare IT Pulse survey by eFax, the concerns over HIPAA compliance are caused primarily by a significant influx of information and paperwork that medical care providers have to to deal with because of the ACA and new health care exchanges. In fact, 54 percent of groups the firm surveyed said that HIPAA compliance was their top concern, above document management, organization and record keeping. However, security was also a top issue, as was financial liability.

"With new legislation in place, penalties are increasing for HIPAA noncompliance, and enforcement will be more aggressive than in the past," says Ross Leo, a HIPAA compliance specialist. "Regardless of cause, the high cost of violations will be a painful reality for healthcare concerns of all sizes, and even higher for avoidable violations. With an increasingly mobile workforce relying on tablets and mobile devices to stay connected, document management and compliance will be top priorities in 2014. Ensuring the security of sensitive information handled through these devices will be among the highest priorities."

For organizations looking to improve their HIPAA compliance and still take a firm stance on document management needs, investing in high-quality paperless solutions can help. Optimizing workflow by using a document conversion service will ensure security and compliance, while health care providers continue to focus on adapting their operations to the new regulations. Some groups have already begun embracing paperless solutions, with 46 percent of organizations rolling out tablet strategies and a further 14 percent planning to start one in 2014. However, it is critical for these providers to have adequate document management software to support these efforts in order to see the compliance-related benefits.

Neither going paperless with EHR adoption, nor HIPAA compliance, or options for medical centers, so adopting the tools that assist with both simultaneously will help address concerns like security and financial liability while successfully converting workflow to paper-free processes.

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