• Listen Live NOW!
  • On Demand
  • Ways to Listen
  • All Shows
    • Radio Shows
      • 1st Talk Compliance
      • FINN Voices
      • Harlow on Healthcare
      • Healthcare De Jure
      • Healthcare IT Today
      • Healthcare Upside/Down
      • Health UnaBASHEd
      • Payment Matters
      • PopHealth Week
      • The Incrementalist
      • The Scope with Dr. K
      • The Tate Chronicles
      • The Virtual Shift
      • This Just In Radio Show
      • Trending NOW
      • Value-Based Care Insights
    • Podcast Shows
      • 4sight Health Roundup
      • Ambulatory Healthcare Today
      • AMCP Podcast Series – Listen Up
      • Ask the Educator
      • Beyond the Needle
      • Conversations on Health Care
      • Healthcare Rap
      • Healthcare Mixtape
      • HealthLaw HotSpot
      • Hello Healthcare Podcast
      • The Brain Trust
      • The Digital Patient
      • The Handoff
    • Monthly Podcast Shows
      • Follow the Medical Record
      • Life-Centered Health Care
      • Paving the Path
      • Tell Me Where IT Hurts
      • The Dish on Health IT
      • The Healthusiasm Podcast
      • Trauma-Informed Life
      • Voices of Change
      • Voices of Self Funding
      • What Consumers Want
      • What’s My Tagline
  • Playlists
  • NursesNOW
    • Nursing News
      • Organizations
      • Podcasts
  • Conferences
  • Request Media Kit
  • Contact Us
Event Calendar
HealthcareNOWradio.comHealthcareNOWradio.com
  • Listen Live NOW!
  • On Demand
  • Ways to Listen
  • All Shows
    • Radio Shows
      • 1st Talk Compliance
      • FINN Voices
      • Harlow on Healthcare
      • Healthcare De Jure
      • Healthcare IT Today
      • Healthcare Upside/Down
      • Health UnaBASHEd
      • Payment Matters
      • PopHealth Week
      • The Incrementalist
      • The Scope with Dr. K
      • The Tate Chronicles
      • The Virtual Shift
      • This Just In Radio Show
      • Trending NOW
      • Value-Based Care Insights
    • Podcast Shows
      • 4sight Health Roundup
      • Ambulatory Healthcare Today
      • AMCP Podcast Series – Listen Up
      • Ask the Educator
      • Beyond the Needle
      • Conversations on Health Care
      • Healthcare Rap
      • Healthcare Mixtape
      • HealthLaw HotSpot
      • Hello Healthcare Podcast
      • The Brain Trust
      • The Digital Patient
      • The Handoff
    • Monthly Podcast Shows
      • Follow the Medical Record
      • Life-Centered Health Care
      • Paving the Path
      • Tell Me Where IT Hurts
      • The Dish on Health IT
      • The Healthusiasm Podcast
      • Trauma-Informed Life
      • Voices of Change
      • Voices of Self Funding
      • What Consumers Want
      • What’s My Tagline
  • Playlists
  • NursesNOW
    • Nursing News
      • Organizations
      • Podcasts
  • Conferences
  • Request Media Kit
  • Contact Us

Health Apps & HIPAA

Oct 27, 2021 | Posted by Industry Expert | Compliance Privacy Security |

By Art Gross, President and CEO, HIPAA Secure Now!
Twitter: @HIPAASecureNow
Read other articles by this author

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released a new policy statement that requires health apps and connected device companies that collect health information to comply with the Health Breach Notification Rule. Yes, that means those very apps that so many of us use to collect our heart rate, weight, sleep, fertility, height, or any other sensitive medical data are going to be held accountable to notify their users if they experience a data breach. These vendors have long been overlooked in comparison with the covered entities who collect the very same data but are held to compliance.

The Health Breach Notification Rule was issued in 2009 by the FTC to strengthen the security protection of web-based businesses, but since then, there has been an explosion in devices and software that is used to collect protected health information (PHI). While these businesses were advised to examine their obligation and accountability, there was never any enforcement. The FTC defines a personal health record as “an electronic record that can be drawn from multiple sources”. For example, synching a device up with input from the user via an interface means that an app or device is capable of drawing information from a combination of consumer inputs and application programming interfaces (APIS), and therefore is accountable to the Rule.

Two-Fold

While this change is an important measure in ensuring that patient data and privacy are protected with regard to sensitive health records, it also plays a critical role in ensuring that there is accountability to the tech firms that may use the data to feed analytics and behavioral advertising.

Developers of these products were not necessarily acting maliciously, but because they fell within a grey area of accountability, their actions weren’t always in line with what was best for the consumer instead of what was best for the business. The FTC was specific in saying that a data breach “is not limited to cybersecurity intrusions or nefarious behavior”. In other words, even sharing PHI will trigger notification obligations. Failure to comply with the rule could result in a penalty of as much as $43,792 per violation per day.

This ruling is yet another emphasis on the fact that healthcare companies must align their cybersecurity posture with HIPAA compliance, and not look at them as separate entities. They work together to keep patients and businesses secure.

This article was originally published on HIPAA Secure Now! and is republished here with permission.

Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on reddit
Reddit
Share on email
Email
Share this...
Tags: Art Grosshealth appsHIPAAHIPAA Secure Now!

Radio for the Healthcare Industry

No HTML5 audio playback capabilities for this browser. Use Chrome Browser!

Categories

Get our News Digest

Get Our News Digest


Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

Follow Us on Twitter

My Tweets

About HealthcareNOWRadio.com

HealthcareNOWradio.com is an Internet radio station operated and produced as part of Answers Media Network. The station offers interviews, and commentary from industry leaders in healthcare and health information technology, as well as originally produced programming hosted by industry leaders. Listen on any device 24/7. You can also subscribe to get notification when a new show airs.

Sign Up for Our e-News Digest

Get notified when a new show airs or when your favorites are available as podcasts. Sign up here

Our News Media Site

Connect with Us

Contact Us

Contact a Host

Media Kit

Listening Guide

 

Follow Us

Our Radio Hosts on Twitter

Tweets by @HCNowRadio

©2023 Answers Media Company, LLC

  • Healthcare NOW Radio Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Our Privacy Policy
  • Our Guests and Recording Policy
Prev Next