Clients will benefit for HIPAA compliance and MIPS reporting.
Primaris, a Midwest-based healthcare consulting and services firm, will join with AFMC, an Arkansas quality improvement organization, to offer security risk analysis (SRA) services to its healthcare provider clients.
All healthcare provider organizations that create, receive, maintain, or transmit electronic health information are subject to the HIPAA Security Rule. This rule requires entities to conduct an annual risk assessment of their organization to ensure the privacy and security of their patients’ protected health information.
“Both Primaris and AFMC have been involved in SRA work for several years, so this isn’t a mystery to us,” said Primaris CEO Richard A. Royer. “But we still hear providers ask, ‘Is this necessary?’, and the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’”
Royer noted that failure to perform an SRA results in a zero for the provider or ACO’s entire score for the “promoting interoperability” (PI) category of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System.
The Security Rule requires providers to evaluate risks and vulnerabilities in their environment and to take the appropriate security measures to protect the integrity and security of their patients’ health information. SRAs should be performed or reviewed annually to be HIPAA compliant and meet mandatory requirements for many incentive programs such as the Quality Payment Program and Meaningful Use.
“We are excited about working with Primaris to help their clinician clients identify security and privacy threats and vulnerabilities to their patients’ health information,” said AFMC president and CEO Ray Hanley. “Our team of security health IT professionals has successfully conducted more than 1,500 SRA over the past 10 years. Our proprietary tools and processes address the key SRA components of technical, administrative and physical safeguards.” 200 N. Keene St., Suite 101, Columbia MO www.primaris.org Richard A. Royer, CEO
Hanley said the goal of Primaris and AFMC is “to help the clinicians identify and lower their risks, reduce the clinical staff burden, and implement best practices.”
About Primaris: Primaris is a healthcare consulting and services firm that works with hospitals, physicians, and nursing homes to drive better health outcomes, improved patient experiences, and reduced costs. Primaris leverages four decades of experience and leadership to abstract healthcare data and translate it into actionable quality improvement initiatives that create the foundation for highly reliable healthcare organizations. For more information, visit www.primaris.org and follow @primaris_health.
About AFMC: For more than 46 years, AFMC has worked to improve the health of Arkansans through utilization review, quality improvement projects and public education. AFMC’s mission is to promote excellence in health and healthcare through evaluation and education.
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