HIPAA Privacy

Date:	May 13, 2008 (Tuesday)
Time:	8:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Location:	The Metropolitan map
Cost:	No charge for clients of Stanton Group; $175 for non-clients
Register:	Seminar Registration

Privacy continues to be a very hot topic in the HR and benefits world, and at the forefront of privacy concerns are the privacy requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). However, in spite of the fact that the HIPAA privacy rule has been in effect for five years (four years for small plans), there continue to be widespread misconceptions and confusion regarding what actually is required, what is covered, and what information can and cannot be shared in what contexts.

In this seminar we will clarify what the HIPAA privacy rules actually require - what information is and is not protected under this law; what parts of an employer's operations are and are not subject to this law; what policies and disclosures are required; and what exemptions actually apply to what types of plans. The answers may surprise you!

What attendees will learn:

• What HIPAA privacy covered entities are - and are not - and what this means for various types of health-related information that pass through your doors.
• The difference between an employer and a group health plan - and what this means to you, especially if you have multiple HR-related responsibilities in your organization.
• What truly is and is not protected health information (PHI) and how this affects your ability to secure certain types of employment-related information.
• Plan document amendment, certification, and firewall requirements under HIPAA privacy.
• The varying levels of compliance required for different types of plans.
• Requirements relating to business associates of your plan(s), including required business associate agreement language that may have slipped under your "radar".
• Privacy notice requirements - when and what notices are and are not required under various circumstances with various plans, and how to simplify this process.
• Use and disclosure rules, including tricky exemptions for certain disclosures requiring an opportunity to agree or object, uses and disclosures requiring authorization, communicating wit spouses and minors, and claim advocacy limitations.
• Eleven specific HIPAA privacy administrative requirements, including policies and procedures, a privacy official and contact person, training, complaint procedures and certain prohibitions - and we'll clarify what types of plans are exempt from what types of these requirements.
• Challenging privacy issues for health flexible spending arrangements and HRAs that create significant regulatory requirements for many employers who thought they were largely exempt from the most onerous of the HIPAA privacy requirements.
• Five specific "individual rights" that individuals covered under your health plan(s) have, and what you need to do to be ready to respond to requests to exercise these rights.
• How HIPAA privacy affects issues relating to FMLA, ADA and workers' compensation.

As with all of our compliance programs, this seminar will focus on real-life, practical application issues, and not legal minutiae. Our goal is for participants to understand how to comply and be able to immediately apply what is learned. Attendees will receive a seminar manual and compliance reference that includes comprehensive cross-referencing to regulations, and key Internet links to other resources. It is not only a great learning tool during the seminar, but is also a tremendously valuable working resource back at the office.

To learn more about the seminar presenter, click here.

For more information, please call 763-278-4196.