After conducting two different reports, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has found the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has “room for improvement” in both HIPAA compliance and post-breach procedures, HealthIT Security reports. “OCR had not announced when it will begin its permanent audit program,” the OIG said in its first study. “Without fully implementing such a program, OCR cannot proactively identify covered entities that are noncompliant with the privacy standards.” The second study found that over one third of OCR employees failed to ensure that covered entities “had reported prior large breaches” and called for the agency to “develop an efficient method in its case-tracking system.” Meanwhile, the OCR has announced that Phase 2 of HIPAA audits will begin in early 2016.
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