Flo Takes on HIPAA HITECH – “Jackpot! You’re not compliant!”

Creative insurance marketing is an oxymoron I know, but Progressive’s Flo is the cream of the crop beating Snoopy, the Gecko and, yes, even the Aflac Duck!

Flo’s questioning of customers helps them craft the right solution for their needs and today she is going to help you.

Imagine if Flo were to try to help you figure out what your HITECH Compliance needs what questions she would need to ask you to put together the right plan for you:

1) Have you done a risk assessment? NO?

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

2) Have you put together a breach response process and plan? NO?

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

3) Do you have BA agreements in place with all your clients and vendors? NO?

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

4) Have you reviewed the privacy and security rule requirements in HIPAA and HITECH? NO?

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

5) Has your staff been trained on how to handle PHI? NO?

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

Whew, this is harder than any of her commericals!! Let’s try a few easier questions..

6) Do you have a Chief Privacy Officer? NO?

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

7) Is your file server encrypted? NO?

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

8) Do your employees lock their computers when they leave their desks? Sometimes…

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

9) Is there a lock on your file room door? NO?

Jackpot – You’re not compliant!

Now Flo is really frustrated. She is not used to having to ask so many questions before helping her customers so she goes for the easiest question yet…

10) Are you taking advantage of the “Safe Harbor” in HITECH and encrypting your email? NO??????????????

Jackpot – You’re really, really, really not compliant!

Sorry Flo this proved to be a harder nut to crack than you are used to.

You now are nearly a month past the February 17th compliance date and still not compliant. This is not an optional class in college but a Federal privacy law with serious penalties and reputational consequences.

Maybe you can make to this nationally published list! Or if your really lucky get audited by HHS!

We have solutions for all sized businesses from 1 person and up….learn more here!

Sarah Palin Supports The Public Option – Or at Least Uses It

I continue to be amazed at the hypocrisy and  yes – stupidity of  – half term governor Sarah Palin.

While writing cliff notes on her hand and claiming God did that as well she now admits that her family.

Sarah Palin now admits that she and her family used “hustle” over the border to get care in Canada when she was growing up.

Even though she is making at least seven figures now her own grandson Tripp  is on a public plan for Native Americans!

So while railing against government takeover of healthcare Sarah Barracuda gives the President she slams daily another gift at a crucial time.

Not only is she dumb but her political instincts clearly aren’t as sharp as the far right thinks.

Can you imagine Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater or any number of other conservative icons behaving and talking like this?

Good things come in three’s! So Willis, Goldman Sachs and now Sarah Palin have handed  the Democrats and media the truth as the final healthcare push is on.

Goldman Sachs (and Willis) Lay A Timely Golden Egg for Healthcare Reform

Like we posted earlier in our Willis post,  Goldman Sachs is going all out to help the President pass Healthcare reform. Their report on the health insurers is a gift that keeps on giving, especially when coupled with a leader from Willis supporting all their conclusions with real marketplace activities.

Download the full report here.

The truth has a way of coming out. Maybe Goldman is paying the US back for the bailouts and profits they have made by making this public at such a critical moment for reform…

Willis Helping To Push Healthcare Reform Over the Line!

Ok, it may be unwittingly, but the conference call that Steve Lewis. a Regional Leader for Willis participated in last week with Goldman Sachs may be the final straw to help the President seal the deal for his healthcare reform bill.

Download the full report here.

Essentially the call and Goldman report said that insurers are going to shed customers and raise rates to become even more profitable. The timing of this obvious revelation couldn’t be better – or worse depending on your point of view – when combined with WellPoint/Anthem’s PR debacle on 39% rate increases in CA and subsequent reports on double digit increases all over the nation.

All of this at a time of record profits and record executive comp.

The fact that 2.3 million fewer Americans were insured than a year ago only adds fuel to the President’s and Democrats fire that something has to be done.

My personal prediction is that the bill will pass the house, adjustments will be made in reconciliation AND a public option will pass in the Senate – 40 Senators now support it – as a result of the  timing of these events.

66% of the country supports a public option – heck 25% is already on one !!

Even Sarah Palin admits that she and her family used “hustle” over the border to get care in Canada when she was growing up.

Her own grandson Tripp  is on a public plan for Native Americans!

As the hypocrisy turns…Stay tuned the next 2 weeks will be very interesting!

PS – Thank you Joe Plumeri for allowing your team to tell the truth!

The First HITECH “BOR” Scalp is Recorded!

I knew it wouldn’t take long for an enterprising broker who was compliant to take a major account away from a competitor!!

Here is an excerpt of an email I received over the weekend from a broker in CA (not an Industry Radar client) :

Dear Industry Radar:

Your post a few weeks ago on BOR’s motivated me to make a number of phone calls after the February 17th deadline to see if the fact that my firm was using secure email and had our BAA’s in place would get me into some accounts that my main competitor has.

Amazingly it worked. I was 3 for 3 getting appointments because the clients had had no contact on HITECH from their broker – a prominent firm here in the bay area ….

I got one BOR on the spot for a group of 325 lives and the other 2 are still possibilities…

Thanks for all your work on HITECH and on helping me get 201o off  to unexpectedly great start!”

As we said weeks ago ” I Love the Smell of BORs in the Morning” and here is living proof that getting compliant, staying compliant and communicating client data securely will pay off for you in protecting your own business and in getting appointments and BORS.

Learn how we can help you here…

New RadarTweets List – Insurance Carriers

We also have created list of just insurance carrier related twitterers. Again let us know if you are not on here.

Check it out:

http://twitter.com/radartweets/insurers

RadarTweets list – Benefits Brokers on Twitter

We have created a Twitter list with just broker twitterers on it. 34 thus far. Let us know if you are not on here and we will add you!!

Check it out:

http://twitter.com/radartweets/benefits-brokers

How is that HITECH Risk Assessment Coming?

Two weeks after the HITECH law took affect if you are asking “What Risk Assessment?”, then you really are still asleep at the wheel on your obligations until HIPAA HITECH.

Your business needs to comply with the the privacy and security provisions of HIPAA and HITECH.

The way to determine the gaps you have with those laws is to do a full “risk assessment”.

The Security rule has 3 components – the “administrative”, “physical” and “technical” that need a full assessment and gap analysis.

Until you do the risk assessment you cannot even begin to put a plan into place for compliance.

Want some help?? This link will help you get started…

The 5 Stages of Grief HIPAA HITECH Style

The five stages of grief is something all of us have experienced in our personal lives at one time or another.

It is amazing how similar many conversations I have every day with brokers are to these stages.

Denial is not a river and I have had some funny ones here often being accused of making up the rules that are required. In fact I had one women who did not believe my description of breaches and reporting and told me to “Prove it!”.

Anger is often funny in its  inevitable attempt to “blame” Obama or Congress or socialists. You name it. HIPAA has been created an expanded  by the last 3 administrations so blame Rove, Limbaugh and Cheney or Bin Laden and UFOs while you’re at it.

I love the Bargaining discussions  they are the best ! “Can I buy some forms on line and fill them out?” Can’t I just password protect my files?” “What is the very least I can get away with?”.

Ah, “Pennywise is Poundfoolish” as old Ben Franklin said.

Depression is almost comical when a multimillion dollar business owner is whining about this isn’t fair and how spending a few thousand dollars to help prevent identity theft of customer data and protect his business is going to kill him.

But Acceptance is the all time classic! Nothing gets someone’s attention faster that hearing their main competitors are actually taking HITECH seriously and are using encryption or getting a call from their clients asking them to get that BA agreement signed!

Whatever stage your organization is in the bottom line is that you are now 2 weeks past the compliance date. Security incidents and data breaches are occurring as we speak and the smell of “willful neglect”  is in the air.

In this electronic age security in all that we do is going to become a core business operations issue. Just like computers and then the web have changed your business so will operating in a manner that treats all your client data as secure in all that you do.

“Anything worth doing is worth doing well” and that is especially true here. Skimping or half measures are of no value when one privacy breach could destroy your business or cost you a major customer.

“Who Ya Gonna Call”? BREACHBUSTERS

Life is serious enough and certainly getting compliant with HIPAA HITECH is no fun so we thought we would try and spice things up a bit and introduce BREACHBUSTERS!

To paraphrase the movie:

“We aren’t afraid of HITECH”

In fact our RadarMail 360 solutions powered by industry leader Zix are the easiest to setup, simplest to use and most powerful on the market connecting your organization to over 150 insurance carriers including Anthem, Wellpoint, Cigna, Assurant, Coventry and 30+ Blues plans inbox to inbox.

So for a goofy Saturday afternoon here we go:

BREACHBUSTERS (sung to the Ghostbusters theme)
If there’s something strange
in your outlook mail
Who ya gonna call?
BREACHBUSTERS
If there’s something weird
and it don’t look encrypted
Who ya gonna call?
BREACHBUSTERS

I ain’t afraid of no HITECH
I ain’t afraid of no HITECH

If you’re seeing PHI
running through your head
Who can ya call?
BREACHBUSTERS

An enrollment form
sleeping in your inbox
Who ya gonna call?
BREACHBUSTERS

I ain’t afraid of no HITECH
I ain’t afraid of no HITECH

Who ya gonna call?
BREACHBUSTERS

If you’ve had a dose of a PHI breach

Ya better call
BREACHBUSTERS

Lemme tell ya something
Encryption’ makes me feel good!

I ain’t afraid of no HITECH
I ain’t afraid of no HITECH

BREACHBUSTERS

When PHI comes through your email
Unless you just want some more
I think you better call
BREACHBUSTERS
Who ya gonna call?
BREACHBUSTERS
If ya all alone
pick up the phone
and call
BREACHBUSTERS

I ain’t afraid of no HITECH
I here it likes census
I ain’t afraid of no HITECH

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Who ya gonna call?
BREACHBUSTERS

RadarMail 360 will get your organization’s email secure.

Contact us to learn more