The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) controls the privacy and access of all protected health information (PHI) in the United States. One of the goals of the legislation is to help move the healthcare industry toward electronic health records (EHR). The value to patients and providers is faster and more accurate care, since clinicians, insurance companies and all related business organizations will have access to the same information.
In 2009, the US Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) to further clarify and address the privacy and security concerns associated with the electronic transmission of health information. Language in the law extends HIPAA provisions to business associates of covered entities. This means that any organization that works with a healthcare provider is also subjected to the same laws and penalties.
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Love it or hate it, cloud computing is here and helping companies become more agile and competitive. There are two common misconceptions about the cloud. The first is it’s only for big companies. The second is it’s only for small companies.
The truth is it’s for everyone regardless of the size of your organization or your industry. That’s like saying that computers are only for big companies – I think most of us know how dumb that is.
Cloud computing has brought capabilities to everyone that only the largest companies could afford in the past. Look at the poster child for cloud computing, Salesforce.com. Years ago, the only way you could afford a sophisticated CRM system was if you had a large IT staff and budget to make it happen. Today, anyone can afford CRM, whether it’s through Salesforce.com or the myriad other cloud offerings out there.
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On January 28, 2012, the United States, Canada and many other countries celebrated Data Privacy Day. This is a recognition that people, businesses and governments need to be aware of data privacy and how to protect it. Last October, the US government marked the eighth annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. That event helped educate people on the importance of internet security. The two events go hand in hand.
Data Privacy Day is an annual international celebration designed to promote awareness about privacy and education about best privacy practices. It began in the US and Canada in January 2008, as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration that started in Europe in 2007. In the US, the House and Senate passed resolutions recognizing January 28 as National Data Privacy Day.
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The unofficial motto for Google is “Don’t be evil”. It’s written on its Code of Conduct page as part of its investor relations information.
Google has 7 simple areas in this code of conduct that cover serving its users, respecting employees, avoiding conflicts of interest, preserving confidentiality, protecting Google’s assets, ensuring financial integrity and obeying the law. If you read them, it sounds like the company intends not to be evil.
Google’s privacy policies and terms of service are what affect most of the users of its services and websites. On January 24, 2012, in an effort to simplify the somewhat arcane policies of numerous Google services, it issued notices to users of a pending change in its privacy policies.
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Two pieces of legislation before the United States Congress are intended, according to its supporters, to prevent Internet piracy and protect freedom and American jobs. The Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) are legislative responses to these threats. Unfortunately, rather than protecting intellectual property and jobs, they would in fact impose bad regulations on American businesses and censor the Internet as we know it.
The stated goal of these bills is to stop copyright infringement by foreign web sites. According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and other groups representing the music and film industries, piracy is rampant and is negatively affecting their businesses. They claim the only way to protect American jobs and businesses is with these measures.
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