HHS sets March 10 deadline for HIPAA privacy, security breach notification

Washington鈥擳he U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a March 10 deadline for dentists who are covered under HIPAA to notify the department of any breaches of unsecured protected health information between Sept. 23, 2009鈥攚hen the Breach Notification Rule went into effect鈥攁nd Dec. 31, 2009.

The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule is part of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which expands upon the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 to protect privacy and security of individuals’ health information. The rule regulates when and how to notify patients, HHS and in some cases, the media, if health care information has been exposed in a security breach.

Forms must be submitted electronically and a separate form must be completed for every breach. Forms may be accessed at http://transparency.cit.nih.gov/breach/index.cfm.

In addition to the annual notice of breaches to HHS, covered dentists are required to report breaches of unsecured protected health information involving 500 or more individuals to HHS without unreasonable delay, and in no event later than 60 calendar days after discovery of the breach.

The form for providing notice of a breach involving 500 or more individuals is also online at http://transparency.cit.nih.gov/breach/ index.cfm.

For more information about submitting breach notification information to HHS, visit www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/breachnotificationrule/brinstruction.html.

Information about the Breach Notification Rule is available on the HHS Web site at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/breachnotificationrule/index.html.

The Association also has up-to-date information at www.ada.org/goto/hipaa. For ADA HIPAA-related products. visit www.adacatalog.org and search HIPAA or call 1-800-947-4746.