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COVER STORY CONTINUED ◁CONTENTSMEMBER PROFILE 5Member “Settles Down” into HecticPrivacy Officer RoleARRA/HITECH Final Privacyand Security RulesThe healthcare industry is waitingfor the final changes to the ARRA/HITECH rules governing privacy andsecurity. The final HITECH changesare expected to strengthen the privacyand security protections in many ways,including by extending privacy andsecurity protections to business associatesof covered entities; establishing newlimitations on the use and disclosureof protected health information formarketing and fundraising purposes;and prohibiting the sale of protectedhealth information.“I’ve read the proposed rules, but we’renot doing anything specific to prepare forthe final rules yet. We’re in waiting mode,knowing that once they come, there willbe a lot of work to be done,” says Wieland.“There seem to be so many gray areas. Ihate to go down one path and then havethe final rule make us switch course.”When the final HITECH rules are set,look for e-alerts about a series of fourfree webinars from industry experts onthe HITECH rules, as well as onlinecourses and programs that can help youunderstand the changes and developimplementation plans.Social MediaFacebook, Twitter, and a whole host ofsocial media platforms pose a threat topatient privacy. Consider this scenario:An employee sees a noted celebrity comeAHIMA ADVANTAGEthrough the hospital for treatment ofexhaustion and posts it to the social mediaWeb site Facebook. What would you do?How could you have prevented it?Davis, an AHIMA Privacy and SecurityPractice Council member, started herown Facebook page years ago primarilyto understand what employees potentiallycould do. She writes awareness articles forher system newsletter and uses employeemistakes as teaching examples. Butfrom an awareness-building standpoint,nothing beats the grapevine for gettingthe word out, says Davis. “The realityis, when there’s corrective action, wordof mouth by staff gets the informationaround pretty quickly.”Portable DevicesTablets, smart phones, and flash driveshave become a part of our lives, fromkeeping in touch with friends, toresearching the nearest restaurant whenyou’re out and about. Most people don’tthink about the privacy and securityimplications for a lost phone or laptop.But for HIM professionals, portabledevices are an increasingly complexchallenge significantly increasing therisks of a breach and unauthorized access.Read the new Practice Brief “MobileDevice Security” in the April 2012Journal of AHIMA to learn safer mobiledevice practices.“The hot topic right now is mobiledevices. It’s huge,” says Davis. “Forexample, what happens when you havean employee who auto-forwards meetingcontinued on page 4HIM EDUCATION 6Entry-level EHR Training Classes LaunchWASHINGTON WATCH 7AHIMA Advocacy Outreach IncludesHill Day, Urges Activity Back HomeFOR YOUR BENEFIT 8AHIMA at Work for YouVALUE OF CREDENTIALS 10Ad Campaign, New Award Tout Value ofHIM Professionals to EmployersSTUDENT MEMBER UPDATE 11Call for Applications: AHIMA’s 2012–2013 Student Advisory CouncilCERTIFICATION UPDATE 12Commission on CertificationAnswers FAQsCATCH UP WITHCOMMUNITIES 13Get Inspired—and Get Involvedat AHIMAPRIVACY, SECURITY UPDATE 14Healthcare Privacy: Are You Readyfor 2012?ACE UPDATE 16ACE Program Encourages VolunteersAHIMA FOUNDATION 17Celebrating the AHIMA Foundation’s50th Anniversary: Fifty for the 50thREAL WORLD 18Celebrate National EthicsAwareness MonthADVANTAGEAHIMA ADVANTAGE STAFF: Jewelle Hicks,Nick TiptonCONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Laurie Casey, Chris Dimick© Copyright 2012 by the American HealthInformation Management Association. All rights reserved.Share your feedback on AHIMA Advantage via e-mail atadvantage@ahima.orgPAGE ▷ 3