In a Healthcare Informatics article, experts weigh in on what proposed rules aimed at strengthening HIPAA will mean for provider organizations. One data security officer suggests the proposed stricter breach notification rules may be alarming to patients, saying "If you report to them a breach when they really aren't impacted--for instance, if the information breached is just their name---patients will get shell-shocked and anxious." Susan McAndrew, deputy director for health information privacy at the HHS Office for Civil Rights, says the final rule pays special attention to finding the right balance between strengthening HIPAA and "maintaining the workability of the requirements so that covered entities of all sizes can smoothly adapt to the changes." Editor's Note: The HIPAA Audit Program will be the focus of the next IAPP Web Conference on Thursday, July 28, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
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