Third Rock is pleased to recognize The Urology Team, a well-known and respected Austin-based medical practice, with the Culture of Compliance Award. This is the first time Third Rock has presented this award which recognizes healthcare providers who have embraced HIPAA privacy and security practices so thoroughly that they are ingrained in their corporate culture and standard processes.
The Urology Team engaged Third Rock to perform their annual Security Risk Assessment which was completed in December 2016. After completing the on-site assessment and reviewing the findings, we were very impressed with their knowledge of HIPAA requirements and the extent to which they had successfully implemented them. We decided to make The Urology Team the first recipient of the Culture of Compliance Award.
How was The Urology Team able to reach such a high level of compliance? First and foremost, they assigned authority to implement and enforce HIPAA-compliant processes. The Providers, who also own the practice, gave Ada, the Privacy Officer, and Cindy, the Security Officer, authority to implement and manage HIPAA. Both Ada and Cindy take their responsibilities to protect patient data very seriously. They have adopted HIPAA Policies and Procedures, which are available to the entire staff, and in doing so, they have learned to manage risks and be on the lookout for new threats.
Each member of the workforce completes HIPAA training annually, or more often, and Ada and Cindy provide regular HIPAA reminders during team meetings. The ladies have also established a strong relationship with their IT Service Provider, Trinsic Technologies of Austin. They clearly understand the status of their IT systems and have an established IT strategy and plan. Lastly, Ada is maintaining a strong “book of evidence”, documenting all of the practice’s HIPAA activities and events.
HIPAA compliance is a never-ending journey, and there are always improvements to be made, but The Urology Team is well positioned for continued success with Ada and Cindy leading the way!
Take our free mini-Risk Assessment to see how compliant you are.