GNYHA has completed the work of its HIPAA Security Consortium by delivering the compliance assessment tool and set of security policies commissioned by the Consortium. These documents are designed to help participants comply with the Security Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). GNYHA formed the Consortium in response to member requests for assistance with security compliance.
To prepare the Consortium documents, GNYHA engaged the consulting firm of International Network Services (INS), which the Consortium had selected through a Request for Proposals, presentation, and evaluation process. INS then prepared 1) a compliance assessment tool, which health care facilities can use to measure compliance against the 18 standards and 36 implementation specifications set forth in the HIPAA Security Rule, and 2) policies and guidance documents, which address each of the requirements in the regulation's 18 standards and 36 implementations specifications.
Both the compliance tool and the policies and guidance documents were reviewed by GNYHA and Ropes & Gray, which had been selected by the Consortium to examine the documents from a legal perspective.
On April 2, 2004,GNYHA,INS, and Ropes & Gray hosted an all-day training session at which Consortium participants received indepth guidance about implementing the compliance tool and policies. This training session also addressed concerns about the risk analysis and auditing requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule, as well as guidelines for documenting the addressable implementation specifications. To provide ongoing support, GNYHA, INS, and Ropes & Gray will host eight weekly conference calls during April and May to provide Consortium participants with a forum to obtain guidance while implementing the policies and compliance assessment tool.
GNYHA will continue to accept participants into the Consortium. Because the Consortium is structured as a cost-sharing arrangement, the participation fees will decrease as more institutions join. GNYHA will rebate funds to members to the extent that the fees exceed the costs. For more information, contact Susan Stuard at GNYHA.