Health-and-Fitness online information.

Respondents to HFMA's on-line HIPAA readiness survey cite budgeting and staff constraints as two of the biggest challenges they face in the next six months in implementing HIPAA regulations. Respondents also saw difficulties ahead in conforming with other existing laws, focusing on the opportunities afforded by HIPAA, and involving the right people to ensure that HIPAA implementation is seen as an organizationwide priority.

The 143 survey respondents were healthcare providers, systems, or payers. Most survey respondents noted that they have a general understanding of HIPAA, but almost a third felt there was a lack of understanding of the law among others within their organization. Only 3 percent of respondents said that awareness and understanding of HIPAA existed organizationwide, and 18 percent said little or no awareness of HIPAA existed in their organization. To build awareness, respondents are holding in-house seminars or sending staff members to offsite seminars, distributing memos and newsletters internally, and fostering internal discussions with staff.

A total of 47 percent of those responding to the survey noted that they have some assigned structure in place to oversee HIPAA compliance activities. These structures include an individual, task force, or collaborative group designated to lead HIPAA efforts, or subgroups formed to address specific issues. Those organizations that have a defined structure in place are more likely than those that do not to have made progress toward HIPAA implementation in terms of beginning risk assessment; identifying existing policies, procedures, and systems; and performing a gap analysis (see Exhibit 1).

Health systems and hospitals differed in several areas with regard to readiness for HIPAA compliance. Health systems were more likely than hospitals to have begun to identify and address key gaps and risks associated with HIPAA implementation and to have made preliminary efforts toward implementation. More hospitals than health systems indicated a lack of understanding of the regulation (37 percent vs. 22 percent) and an uncertainty about what actions to take first (46 percent vs. 31 percent). However, a hospital or system with 301 to 500 beds was more likely to have begun to address gaps and risks than a hospital or system with either fewer than 301 beds or more than 500 beds. Small, rural hospitals were the least likely to have begun the implementation process.

# posted by Medical Information : 4:04 AM