HIPPA compliance for vendors and suppliers.

Abstract

Between 30 to 45% of breaches in Protected Health Information (PHI) involve vendors, yet in most cases it is the hospital that is held liable for the breach. In this article, the author explores the practice of relying on vendors to conduct their own background checks of employees they assign to hospitals. He provides guidance on how hospitals can insure that such checks are up to the standards of the hospital's own background procedures without taking over that responsibility from vendors.