KIWI-TEK has attested that they have put into operation a complete set of HIPAA-based privacy and security policies, forms, and a privacy and security risk analysis.
As part of our ongoing effort to be the best coding service in the industry, KIWI-TEK is continually updating and improving our privacy and security practices. To that end, we just completed our third privacy and security risk assessment in three years and received an almost perfect score overall—97.3 percent. H.I.Mentors, LLC provided the HIPAA audit and consultation guided by required assessment information from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). KIWI-TEK scored 100 percent in the following areas cited in the H.I. Mentors Privacy and Security Attestation Report 2019:
- Privacy/Security Compliance
- Privacy Policy and Procedures
- Policy Communication and Training
- Designated Record Sets
- Incident and Request Management
- Audits and Reviews
- Business Associate (BA) Management
- BA Subcontractors
- Administrative Safeguards
We are proud of this achievement and what it means for our customers who trust KIWI-TEK to demonstrate responsibility in handling their PHI in a secure and compliant manner. “KIWI-TEK has been a trusted partner with Forrest Health for several years,” says Lorie B. Mills, RHIT, CCS, System Director of Coding and CDI. “They continually offer quality coding with a strong customer support program which makes them a smart choice when looking for coding support.”
Over the past three years we have worked to maximize our compliance, due to the heightened scrutiny of BAs by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
There is a strong growing trend of enforcement of HIPAA Privacy and Security policies. Since 2016, the challenges for BAs have become more complicated. For example, 30 to 40 percent of fines and settlements imposed on covered entities have been attributed to inappropriate actions of their BAs. Common violations involving BAs include: no business associate agreement (BAA), outdated BAA, failure to conduct a security risk assessment, and lack of proper technical, administrative or physical safeguards in place.
Our customers deserve the best possible effort on the part of their business associates to protect them and ensure compliance. By doing business with us they can be confident there will be no privacy or security issues. KIWI-TEK has worked diligently to develop educational resources including a white paper Lock Your Back Door—4 Steps to Ensure Your Business Associates Are Compliant and related presentations. We’re committed to maintaining high standards and compliance because it’s the right thing to do for our customers.