Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is technology compliance?

A. TechComply's solutions are driven by the idea that organizations can use technology as a means to facilitate, automate and upkeep HIPAA compliance items- this is technology compliance.

Q. How exactly does TechComply use technology to be compliant?

A. Good question. Each solution TechComply derives is customized for a particular practice or hospital. We use cloud-based and local computer systems to identify and automate HIPAA compliance matters. That means we setup the network policies, user permissions, access protocols and all peripherals to HIPAA standards. Our security experts implement systems and educate staff on how to use technology to upkeep HIPAA compliance, HR measures and overall efficiency.

Q. I see you do compliance, but do you provide general IT services and support?

A. Yes. We are a full-service technology company staff with professionals who are proficient in all aspects of IT- setting up and troubleshooting servers and workstations, interfacing with secure cloud-based solutions, training staff on how to operate systems correctly and much, much more.

Q. What is "meaningful use"?

A. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide a financial incentive for the "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology to achieve health and efficiency goals. By putting into action and meaningfully using an EHR system, providers will reap benefits beyond financial incentives–such as reduction in errors, availability of records and data, reminders and alerts, clinical decision support, and e-prescribing/refill automation.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 specifies three main components of Meaningful Use:

  • The use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, such as e-prescribing.
  • The use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care.
  • The use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality and other measures.

Simply put, "meaningful use" means providers need to show they're using certified EHR technology in ways that can be measured significantly in quality and in quantity. (Source: HHS.gov)

Q. We are interested, but we already have an IT staff.

A. Your present IT staff may not have the expertise to identify compliance issues, we use technology as a means to be compliant. According to existing HIPAA/HITECH mandates, any covered entity must utilize secure hardware and software. Let us perform a free, on-site audit and provide you with the results in a Risk Analysis Report. We are confident that we can reduce your costs by augmenting the current IT staff.

Q. We already purchased an EMR system, can you still help us?

A. Great, we are pleased to hear you are moving in the right direction. TechComply can assist you in preparing the local IT environment for implementation by the vendor and subsequently qualify the organization for "meaningful use.”

Q. What is the typical duration of an implementation cycle? Will my systems be down?

A. Naturally, it depends on the size of the practice or hospital. TechComply sets up a "parallel environment" off-site so that there is no disruption to the organization. We can transition to a new environment during a time that is convenient and have all systems up and running without any outages. An organization of 50 people (physicians and support staff) can be setup with new machines, a secure, redundant server and all peripherals over a weekend.

Q. I understand that we need to be compliant, but if there is no enforcement, why should I care?

A. With the passage of the HITECH Act in 2009, the government is taking HIPAA enforcement seriously. Some of the more recent measures taken by the Department of Health and Human Services are HIPAA compliance audits of healthcare organizations, State Attorney Generals now have the power to prosecute healthcare organizations for non-compliance, and the financial penalties for non-compliance are much more significant than they used to be. Even though HIPAA was enacted in 1996, the first ever HIPAA monetary penalties were issued in February of 2011 for sums of $4.3 million and $1.1 million (Sources: Association of Corporate Counsel and East Valley Tribune)

Q. We understand we need to upgrade our systems to be compliant, but this is very expensive.

A. We understand that there are costs attached with being compliant, but the costs attached with being non-compliant are far greater. More importantly, by utilizing our solutions, you will quickly discover that the efficiency around your office has improved. Employees won’t be visiting social networking sites or walking around looking for paper files. Our goal is to reduce your costs over the long-term, as we have successfully done for so many of our clients. In addition, we do all the “grunt work” to make sure you are eligible for the $44K - $60K tax credit through the Obama Stimulus Program.