The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will begin HIPAA audits on covered entities this month, Health Data Management reports. KPMG has been contracted to conduct the audits--at least 150 by the end of next year--on HIPAA's privacy, security and breach notification rules. The OCR has said an initial 20 audits will act as a test run to determine how future assessments will be conducted. Entities will be notified of an impending audit in writing 30 to 90 days prior, but the OCR has not yet indicated how it will select which firms to visit. Editor's Note: The IAPP will host a Web conference on "Enforcement Trends in Healthcare Privacy" this Thursday, November 10, from 1- 2:30 p.m. EST.
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