HIPAA Compliance FAQs: Your Guide to Healthcare Data Protection

Have questions about how to manage tracking technologies in light of HHS/OCR guidance? So do your peers. Here are some answers from two technology leaders.

“When HHS and OCR opened up a huge can of worms last December, they created some chaos in the universe of healthcare marketers who work for entities covered by HIPAA,” writes Jane Weber Brubaker in a recent article.

Josh Kinney, director of digital technology, WebMD Ignite

“There’s such a hunger for information and guidance. We’re doing our part to feed the hungry, with articles and webinars that raise the red flags that healthcare marketers should pay attention to, to avoid a HIPAA breach — and a potential lawsuit — by sending protected health information (PHI) to a non-HIPAA compliant business associate.

“As a frequent webinar moderator, I’ve noticed that when the Q&A starts, it’s a signal to many people to drop off, now that the presentation is over. Not so with this topic. There’s tremendous interest in diving deep.

“In a recent webinar from WebMD Ignite, ‘Pixel Privacy Conundrum,’ the Q&A captured the major questions people have. The responses from the two presenters from WebMD Ignite, Andy Waldrop, vice president, digital experiences & production management at WebMD Ignite, and Josh Kinney, director of digital technology, were rich and detailed.

“Before responding to any questions, Waldrop emphasized that the guidance is NOT legal advice. ‘It’s up to each covered entity to decide their approach to compliance and appetite for risk,’ he says.

“Here, we share a condensed version of the webinar Q&A.”

Get the answers you need on how to manage online tracking technologies and safeguard sensitive healthcare data in our new article: WebMD Ignite Responds to Frequently Asked Questions About HIPAA and Tracking Technologies

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President