Dive Brief:
- Phase 2 of the federal HIPAA audit program, which was originally scheduled to begin last October, is still on hold.
- Plans to begin Phase 2 audits were derailed last summer due to issues with an online portal through which organizations could submit information. The portal is still not fully functional.
- At the 23rd Annual HIPAA Summit on Monday, Jocelyn Samuels, director of the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights (OCR) said the program remains "under development."
Dive Insight:
According to Samuels, the OCR is still committed to implementing a robust audit program. "I can promise you two things," Samuels said at the Summit. "The first is, it's coming; I can't promise you the specific date, but it's happening. The second is that we are committed to transparency in this process." When the information becomes available, Samuels said the OCR will provide information on the protocols it plans to use, the agency's expected approach and the timeframe in which the audits will take place.