This 90-minute live webinar is designed to help healthcare practices, organizations, and compliance professionals bring their HIPAA programs up to date as HIPAA HITECH enforcement is now fully active and strongly supported at the federal level. The session will examine new federal directives, along with the significant HIPAA updates scheduled for 2026 and beyond, impacting both the Privacy Rule and Security Rule. Attendees will also gain awareness of proposed regulatory changes that may soon become enforceable requirements. Discussion topics will include recent and high-profile breaches, the most frequent causes of noncompliance, telehealth-related risks, secure communication practices (texting and email), and how the OCR audit process is being applied today. With enforcement accelerating, covered entities and business associates face increasing exposure. This webinar will review the most common violations, enforcement penalties, and audit findings, while outlining practical strategies to reduce compliance failures and avoid costly consequences. Drawing on more than 23 years of real-world experience as an outsourced HIPAA compliance auditor and expert witness, Brian L. Tuttle will also explain how patients are now able to pursue financial remedies for improper disclosures of protected health information—and how organizations can significantly lower that risk through proactive compliance and best practices.

Areas Covered:-

• Updates to HIPAA Administrative Simplification requirements
• Current NPRMs affecting the HIPAA Security Rule
• Changes and updates to the HIPAA Privacy Rule
• Patient Rights of Access
• Care coordination requirements
• Permitted information sharing
• Notice of Privacy Practices updates
• Impact of the 21st Century Cures Act
• Telemedicine compliance requirements
• Enforcement actions and fines
• Risks related to portable and mobile devices
• Updated guidance for texting and email communication
• Expanded interpretation of Protected Health Information (PHI)
• Real-world OCR audits and litigated HIPAA cases
• Increased compliance obligations for business associates
• Breach notification responsibilities
• Key operational and technical risk factors

Why Should You Attend?

Are you ready for the major changes to HIPAA Security and Privacy enforcement taking effect in 2026?

The Office for Civil Rights is actively implementing long-awaited updates to HIPAA enforcement—particularly within the Security and Privacy Rules. From 2022 through 2024, reported breaches of protected health information exceeded those from all previous years combined, prompting regulators to take decisive action—especially around electronic PHI safeguards.

This webinar will explore:

• Regulatory changes resulting from OCR’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) issued on December 27, 2024
• The role of increasing cyberattacks in shaping OCR audit priorities
• How new state laws are expanding patient rights and financial liability
• Common operational failures that trigger HIPAA audits and lawsuits
• Enforcement expectations under the Trump administration and related congressional initiatives
• HIPAA enforcement has evolved. What was once lightly enforced now carries serious financial and legal consequences.
• Stay informed. Reduce exposure. Protect your organization.

Who Will Benefit?

• Practice and office managers
• Compliance and privacy professionals
• Business associates supporting healthcare organizations, including:
• Medical billing and coding services
• IT and cybersecurity providers
• Transcription and answering services
• Home health organizations
• Legal and consulting professionals
• Physicians and other licensed healthcare providers