NOTE: This is a repost for those that have browsers that could not open the original. Hopefully this will fix the problem!

Over the years I’ve had a lot of organizations ask me about whether HIPAA applies to faxes, copy machines, and other types of specific technologies.  It is very important that covered entities (CEs), business associates (BAs) and their subcontractors understand that HIPAA applies to protecting the information!  It doesn’t matter what the conduit is for how the information is transmitted, or where it is stored or accessed from.  The important point is that protected health information (PHI), in all forms, must be protected. The Security Rule applies to only electronic data, but the Privacy Rule and HITECH apply to all forms of PHI.  Okay; let’s keep this in mind when considering the following question I got earlier this week from a HIPAA business associate… (more…)