Kardon Technology Unveils New HIPAA HITECH Compliance Software

TUCKER, Ga. - April 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Decatur, Georgia – While nearly all industries have some sort of compliance issue they have to address, the healthcare industry has especially stringent guidelines as specified by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Recently, additional updates were made to HIPAA through the HITECH ACT (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/enforcementrule/hitechenforcementifr.html). Specifically, any business that provides services to, or works with, a medical provider and has access to or stores any confidential information must also be HIPAA compliant. That list can get pretty lengthy and includes vendors like attorneys, accountants, payroll companies, transcribers and many more. Not only do many of these business have no idea that they are required to follow the same rules as medical providers, but the HITECH Act places the responsibility for informing these businesses on the medical providers or they too can face potential fines.

For example, if a CPA provides services to a doctor’s office that gives him access to patient information to generate refund checks, he must be HIPAA compliant. The doctor, or someone in her office, must inform their CPA of these requirements. If the CPA decides to ignore the rules, the doctor must find and use a new CPA if possible. If not, she must report that the CPA is out of compliance but explain that he is the only option for her business at this time. This report will likely trigger an audit, and both the medical practitioner and the CPA can face hefty fines if they are found to be out of compliance.

In response, Atlanta-based technology firm Kardon Technology (http://www.kardontech.com/), which has worked with medical practices and their business associates for more than 25 years, partnered with software development firm Blass Consulting and Compliance to create K-Comply Powered by ComplyAssistant. This new proprietary software allows medical offices to perform due diligence assessments, document their findings and create compliance plans for internal implementation and to help BAs stay compliant under HIPAA HITECH.

“We’ve grown with the industry and have witnessed the changes that have transformed it,” says Donna Grindle, president and senior consultant with Kardon. “HIPAA compliance is complicated enough and then you add in the new HITECH changes and it can be downright confusing. Our goal is to help clients figure out the answers to these updated compliance questions and then determine what needs to be done so they can continue operating with as few disruptions as possible.”

Gerry Blass, president and CEO of Blass Consulting and Compliance is equally excited about the possibilities with K-Comply. “When Kardon approached me to partner with them on this software, I immediately recognized the amazing possibilities. There’s nothing like this in the industry and it will make a big difference in helping practices identify key areas and their BAs that need help with the latest in HIPAA compliance.“

K-Comply will be officially launched at the GMGMA 2013 Expo at Lake Lanier Islands Resort in Buford, GA, running April 21 through April 24.

About Kardon Technology

Kardon Technology offers outsourced specialized information technology services designed around the unique needs, requirements and regulations of medical practices and their business associates. From basic technology consulting to IT management to HIPAA and HITECH compliance and everything in between, we are dedicated to assisting professionals in the medical field stay compliant and be successful. To learn more, visit www.kardontech.com.

About Blass Consulting and Compliance

Blass Compliance is made up of a talented team of developers and user experience professionals working together to change the way compliance is managed and documented. We strive to create powerful, well-designed, and user-friendly software that our clients love to use. We are continuously innovating and looking for ways to make the management and collaboration of compliance activities easier to do for organizations of any size. To learn more, visit www.complyassistant.com.