Ambulatory surgery centers will be included in audits as part of a HIPAA audit program initiated by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Office for Civil Rights, according to a report in the ASC Association's ASCA Government Affairs Update.
Up to 150 entities, including ASCs, will be audited during the initial phase of the program, scheduled to run between Nov. 2011 and Dec. 2012. The audit will assess compliance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and Breach Notification standards.
OCR will use the audit program to assess HIPAA compliance efforts, examine mechanisms for compliance, identify best practices and discover risks and vulnerabilities that may not have come to light through OCR's ongoing complaint investigations and compliance reviews.
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If OCR identifies an organization demonstrating significant compliance issues, it may undertake a further compliance review to address these issues, according to the report
Learn more about the HIPAA audit program by visiting the OCR website.
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