One of the greatest strengths of chiropractic EHR software is that, even as these systems facilitate the transmission of patient records among medical practitioners as needed, it also protects individual privacy to an unparalleled degree and provides a degree of security that even holds up the face of a natural disaster.

Yet despite this ability, breaches of patient information have occurred, typically in instances involving insufficient training and incomprehensible EHR management software. As such, Office for Civil Rights Director Leon Rodriguez recently discussed the changes entailed by the updates to the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule, which took effect on September 23.

"On the one hand you do have to have assertive enforcement; you have to have credible enforcement, that really does play a critical role in obtaining compliance [to HIPAA]," he explained at the HIMSS Media and Healthcare IT News Privacy and Security Forum earlier this week. "But at the same time you have to set rules of the road that are understandable and consistent, and you really need to make sure people know what the rules of the road are."

The industry media outlet MedCityNews summarized some of the key changes featured in the the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule, including an expanded definition of "business associate" to include all entities that engage in the routine transmission of EHRs. The rule also features a broader interpretation of a personal health information breach that encompasses any "acquisition, access, use, or disclosure of PHI" that violates the privacy rule.

If you are preparing to transition to chiropractic EHR software, it is imperative to invest in a product that safeguards your patients' personal information while streamlining your current administrative processes. The best chiropractic EHR software should also entail extensive training and continual support to ensure that no inadvertent errors occur.