Eagle Consulting Partners has released the 2014 edition of its Confidentiality and Computer Security Policies specifically crafted for Ohio DD Boards. In addition to HIPAA compliance, these policies also address compliance with FERPA, IDEA and State of Ohio Regulations that relate to confidentiality.
Developmental Disability Boards in Ohio are challenged with the need to comply with many sets of regulations relating to confidentiality and computer security. These regulations include:
- HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) – Federal law which protects the confidentiality and security of healthcare information;
- FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) – Federal law which protects the privacy of student education records; Applicable to schools and other organizations who accept funds from the U.S. Department of Education, including many DD Boards;
- IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) – Federal law applicable to DD Boards that governs how special education and related services are provided to children with disabilities aged 0-18; and
- Ohio Revised Code – State law, which contains confidentiality provisions specific to DD boards that ensure the protection of personally identifiable information.
By far, the most comprehensive and complex of these regulations are the HIPAA regulations and most of these policies detail compliance obligations arising from HIPAA. However, these other regulations overlap with, and in some cases, differ from HIPAA, making policy creation a challenge.
Eagle’s approach is to develop a single set of policies for Ohio boards that simultaneously complies with all of these regulations. After completing a comprehensive review of the most recent versions of FERPA and IDEA, we are releasing a 2014 update to our Ohio DD Board policies which includes numerous important clarifications/additions. In addition, a number of other updates have been made. Revisions have been made to the following policies:
- HIPAA – General Rules
- Minimum Necessary Policy
- Disclosures that do not Require an Authorization
- Individual’s Right to Access Records
- Notice of Privacy Practices
- Annual Security Evaluation
DD Boards that licensed Eagle’s 2013 Confidentiality & Computer Security Policies for Ohio DD Boards may call to obtain a free update from Eagle Consulting Partners. Other boards that are interested in obtaining and implementing these policies may purchase them on our website store here.
