Protecting patient health information has gone beyond the realm of the medical practice. Now organizations like the YMCA are offering community health programs and they need to be HIPAA compliant as well.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. (PRWEB) December 04, 2017
YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), the national resource office for 2,700 YMCAs (“Ys”), has selected HIPAA Secure Now! (HSN) as a preferred provider of HIPAA compliance and cyber security services to local Ys nationwide. HSN will help ensure that protected health information (PHI) for thousands of participants in the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program will be safeguarded at Ys offering the program to the public now and in the future.
“Protecting patient health information has gone beyond the realm of the medical practice,” said Art Gross, HSN President and CEO. “Now organizations like the YMCA are offering community health programs that cross over to the medical services arena. They need to be HIPAA compliant and to prevent data breaches as well. We are honored that the YMCA is putting its faith in our company to meet their HIPAA compliance and cyber security needs.”
The scope of services HSN will provide Ys includes:
--HIPAA compliance protocols -- conducting mandatory Security Risk Assessments (SRAs) and developing required policies and procedures.
--Cyber security assessments and training -- including technical network vulnerability assessments and continuous employee training and testing via security micro trainings, simulated phishing attacks and other tactics for preventing data breaches.
--External data breach assessments – additional training to deepen employee knowledge of thwarting cyberattacks to reduce the high risk of security scams and to prevent PHI from being accessed on the dark web.
--Employee vulnerability assessments -- to enable managers to assess whether employees present a high, medium, or low level of risk in terms of preventing cyber security breaches and to reduce those risk levels.
The need for the YMCA to adhere to HIPAA regulations became apparent when the organization developed its program for preventing diabetes, a disease that currently afflicts more than 30 million people in the U.S. As part of that program, participants with prediabetes (approximately 84 million Americans are estimated to have prediabetes) learn to alter their lifestyles by increasing physical activity, eating healthier and losing weight in order to delay or prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
National Institutes of Health research has shown that programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can reduce the number of new cases of Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent overall and by 71 percent in people over age 60. Such impressive results led to the development of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) expanded model, recently finalized by CMS. MDPP has been made available through community and health care settings like the Ys, and the programs are delivered by trained community health workers and health professionals.
Since CMS has designated MDPP services as an “additional preventive services” under the Social Security Act, Ys will have to become Medicare “suppliers” to administer MDPP services and will therefore become a HIPAA Covered Entity. As an MDPP supplier, the YMCA must conform to HIPAA requirements for safeguarding protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII).
“We look forward to working with Y-USA to help local Ys meet their HIPAA and cybersecurity compliance needs,” Gross said.
About HIPAA Secure Now!
HIPAA Secure Now! has been helping clients comply with the HIPAA since 2009. The company’s all-in-one solution provides a security risk assessment, which also satisfies Meaningful Use and MACRA requirements, as well as privacy and security policies and procedures, and training. HIPAA Secure Now! moves customers toward HIPAA compliance quickly and easily, and protects them in the event of an audit. Clients can complete the entire process in less than three hours, and regularly comment that it is painless and has made their lives easier. For more information visit http://www.HIPAASecureNow.com.
About YMCA of the USA
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. For more information visit http://www.ymca.net.