ON THE NET
This site offers information on HIPAA compliance.

With deadlines approaching next year, ophthalmology practices around the country are now gearing up to comply with new rules mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) concerning patient privacy and electronic transactions. You should now be gathering as much information as you can to help your practice meet its compliance responsibilities with a minimum of confusion.

Though many healthcare Web sites offer HIPAA-related information, the American Medical Association (AMA) site at www.ama-assn.org will provide you with a wide array of resources that will help in answering most -- if not all -- of your questions concerning your practice's obligations in complying with the new standards.

To access this treasure trove, log on to the AMA Web site and type "HIPAA" into the search box. You can then choose from numerous preparedness articles, implementation tips, frequently asked questions about HIPAA, and links to related resources.

Make sure to download an article titled "How to HIPAA." This piece offers the AMA's top 10 tips for developing and implementing an effective HIPAA compliance plan.

From the AMA HIPAA site, you can link to the official Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services site for the latest official information on any changes in the rules or the deadlines for compliance. You can also link to HIPAA compliance information compiled by several state medical societies.

And if you want all your compliance information in one comprehensive publication that you can carry around or give to staff members, you can use the AMA site to order a book titled Field Guide to HIPAA Implementation from the AMA press.

Overall, this is an excellent site to get up to speed on your practice's responsibilities in meeting the new standards.

Visit www.ama-assn.org

If you've discovered a Web site or service that's been useful to you in practice or at home, we'd like to know about it. E-mail Jerry Helzner at helznergi@boucher1.com  or call him at (215) 643-8013.