“I don’t know what HIPAA stands for, but I believe in it, and I practice it.”

Given that football season is upon us, it seems appropriate to kick off this entry with immortal words from an immortal NFL quarterback: Peyton Manning, circa 2011.

That quote, for you football fans, spilled forth as Mr. Manning was trying to dodge questions regarding the status of his neck…nothing like falling back on HIPAA as the reason one can’t divulge personal medical information.

As you can tell, today I’m using football as a cheap entrance to discuss HIPAA, the Final Omnibus Rule and all things related.  You likely just cringed, but please allow me to continue…there is a link here.

As in HIPAA/Final Omnibus, there are (relatively) safe areas on the football field:  On the football field, “the pocket” affords relative safety, and in HIPAA, it is falling in with Safe Harbor.

As in HIPAA/Final Omnibus, football allows for “do-overs”:  On the football field, instant replay and challenge flags equate to Affirmative Defense.

And finally, as in HIPAA/Final Omnibus, football is a stickler for rules:  On the football field, the midfield referee conference equates to the Objective Definition of Breach.

Those of you wanting to read how I made this metaphorical leap from the football field to the world of regulatory compliance can do so from our white paper (link at top of page here).

Best of luck to your team(s) this season!