b'Hospitals preparing for a potential government audit of their HIPAA security rule compliance should "build a continual state of readiness," says David Wiseman, information security manager at Saint Luke\'s Health System, Kansas City, Mo.\\n\\n
To be fully prepared, Wiseman says hospitals should:\\n\\n
About two years ago, Saint Luke\'s Health System went through what was then a very rare federal audit when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was attempting to measure its ability to oversee and implement the HIPAA security rule.\\n\\n
Now the Office of Civil Rights within HHS is gearing up to conduct HIPAA compliance audits throughout the country on a regular basis, as called for under the HITECH Act.\\n\\n
Wiseman was a featured speaker Feb. 28 at an all-day security workshop at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference in Atlanta.'