Individuals, organizations, and agencies that meet the definition of a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must comply with its requirements to protect the privacy and security of the health information they handle. Compliance also means providing individuals with certain rights regarding their health information. Covered Entities Health Care Providers:…

Whenever I think about things in our world that have changed in my lifetime, the first thing that comes to mind is the cars I have owned. It’s not until you look back in time that you realize the incredible evolution of personal transportation. When purchasing a new or used car, these are some of…

When More Is Better I love the quote by Larry Page, founder of Google, “Always deliver more than expected.” This is valuable not only for auditing, but to gain and maintain customers and impress your boss. By doing so, you create an unexpected and lasting impression for them and strengthen trust. The same is true…

I walked past Brian’s cubicle and saw his feet up on the desk and heard a low, slow humming sound that definitely wasn’t Brian because he couldn’t carry a tune in a backpack. I saw a strange light coming from his cubicle, too, so I backed up to see what was going on. When I…

When It’s Time to Change Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric, said, “Change before you have to.” It’s a simple yet powerful quote. Things change and progress happens with or without us, and by being proactive, we have a better chance of remaining in control, being successful, and avoiding costly embarrassment. This…

What Are Backup Failures? The best way to prevent data loss is to back up electronic data on a daily basis, if not more frequently. Some of the reasons backup files are necessary are in the event of: Accidental deletion of files. Hardware or software failures. Damaged files or equipment due to environmental disasters like…

I recently had lunch with an old friend of mine. Rather than eat out, I just brought a pizza to his small office space. Will often has papers all over his desk. Not because he’s disorganized, but because he’s usually got several small projects going on at the same time. In trying to clear a…

Scanning documents seems like a straightforward task. Who would ever think that it would require more than just simply scanning and saving? But history has shown that poorly-scanned documents have led to major problems and issues, and many are irreversible. That’s why quality control (QC) should be part of the whole project scanning process, from…

Whether you’re aware of it or not, all of us are archivers. Anytime you move inactive emails to another folder instead of deleting them, upload photos to the cloud from your phone to declutter, or physically move your 2021 tax return file from your desk to your file cabinet, you are archiving. So, what is…

Biting the Bullet: A Business Story Our business discards paper records with customer information on a daily basis. We tried shredding them ourselves, but realized that doing that takes far too much valuable time. Our security cameras have also shown people digging through our garbage and recycling at night and that made us a little…