Solutions

Solutions powered by
Learn More.
Frame 586 (1)

Quality Manager formerly known as abaqis®

Mitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.

Learn More

NEW TO THE STORE

hStream Content Marketplace

Connecting you to the Best Content. Access to 75 Partners and 35,000+ Courses in our Industry-Leading Marketplace. Streamline content purchasing, updates, hosting and connectivity for your organizational needs.

NurseGrid Learn

Online store for Clinical Learners. Individual CE Credit and industry products for Clinical Learners are now available through NurseGrid Learn (Beta). Explore our robust collection of courses that provides an unparalleled level of flexibility and choice.

DEA MATE Opioid and Substance Use for Practitioners

Meet the DEA's new requirement under the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act in an online and self-paced 8-hour DEA MATE Act course specifically designed for practitioners, including Physicians, PAs, NPs, Pharmacists, Dentists and others.

LATEST & POPULAR

BLOG

Join Us at Thrive24: The Ultimate HealthStream Credentialing User Group Conference!
BLOG

Gen Z Enters the Workforce: How Healthcare Can Adapt Training Programs for the Next Generation
BLOG

Telehealth: From Pandemic Tool to Preferred Option
On-Demand Webinar

State of the Industry: What’s Next for Healthcare Quality & Safety in 2024?
CUSTOMER STORY

Quantifiable results highlight switch to jane®
ARTICLE

10 Trends for 2024: Absorbing New Technology, Facing New Realities, and Solving Old Problems

< HealthStream Resources

Clarifying Recent Changes To HIPAA

April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021

Have you seen the recent headlines and reports of changes to HIPAA? Examples include, "New HIPAA Regulations in 2019,"  "2019 HIPAA Rule Changes," "Recent HIPAA Changes," and the list of articles goes on! There has been much discussion regarding the recent changes to HIPAA – and it is big news; however, HIPAA, the law itself, has not changed – at least not yet.  On April 30, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that in addition to lowering the annual penalty limits, the assessment of civil money penalties will now be based on the offender's level of culpability or accountability.  Below is a comparison of the 2013 penalty tiers with those recently updated.

Penalty Tiers under the 2013 Enforcement Rule

Culpability

Minimum penalty/violation

Maximum penalty/violation

Annual limit

No Knowledge

$100

$50,000

$1,500,000

Reasonable Cause

$1,000

$50,000

$1,500,000

Willful Neglect – Corrected

$10,000

$50,000

$1,500,000

Willful Neglect – Not Corrected

$50,000

$50,000

$1,500,000

Penalty Tiers under the April 23, 2019 Notification of Enforcement Discretion

Culpability

Minimum penalty/violation

Maximum penalty/violation

Annual limit

No Knowledge

$100

$50,000

$25,000

Reasonable Cause

$1,000

$50,000

$100,000

Willful Neglect – Corrected

$10,000

$50,000

$250,000

Willful Neglect – Not Corrected

$50,000

$50,000

$1,500,000

The new annual limit promotes a deeper consideration as to timely correction of violations, allowing for a more logical approach to the original Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). HHS will use this penalty tier structure as adjusted for inflation until further notice.

For questions regarding changes in the HIPAA penalty structure, consult our Compliance Department.

Learn more about HCCS solutions for HIPAA Compliance Training.