“It’s 11 o’clock do you know where your personal health information is?” The new provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) may make this a very expensive question if the answer is “no.”ARRA has new – and sweeping – provisions regarding the security of health information. “Covered entities” will be required to notify individuals within 60 days of any breaches of their personal health information. And, if the privacy breach involves 500 or more individuals, then the Department of Health and Human Services must be notified as well.”Business associates” will also be held to  much higher standards of maintaining the privacy and security of health records. HIPAA enforcement is extended to these entities, too.And, to counter critics that there was “a lot of HIPAA and not a lot of enforcement,” the new Act gives states attorneys general the authority to sue for HIPAA violations. This right had been reserved exclusively for the HHS’ Office of Civil Rights. State AGs will be able to seek statutory damages and attorneys fees on behalf of affected individuals in their states. State AGs are well-known for acting aggressively and rapidly, so HIPAA compliance will no longer be something to address “tomorrow.”These new provisions should cause anyone with sensitive medical information to reflect on the steps that they’ve taken – and need to take - to secure this data.At Secure Services Corporation, we believe that secure and encrypted data using our highly robust SHAPE (Secure Health And Privacy Environment) products will allow our customers to rest easy. They’ll know where the personal health information is at 11 o’clock and around the clock!SHAPE – Secure information at the tip of your finger.

As we speak with doctors across the country we hear a common complaint. Doctors are frustrated that the business of medicine is taking more time that they would rather spend on providing care to patients. If it isn’t government with new or confusing regulations, it’s insurers with new and confusing requirements to file claims! And, mention HIPAA and the challenges of secure and private communication of medical information at your own peril!

The business of medicine is a principle cause of patient complaints, too. So many patients don’t understand why they have to present their insurance card every time they come in the office. They see this as a sign of incompetence on the part of the administration of the office instead of a means to ensure that patients receive the insurance benefits to which they are entitled.

Another frustration for both doctors and patients is correcting claims that somehow don’t get paid. Patients spend more time on the phone with the doctor’s office trying to figure out what went wrong. And, the time staff spends on the phone with the patient and the insurance company would be much better spent on providing care.

Almost without exception we hear, “Why can’t we have a system that recognizes the patients, links them with their insurance coverage and then processes the claim? If we could do these things securely and with little effort we could see more patients, spend more time caring for them and get paid for providing care.”

SSC has listened – and, we’ve heard. Our SHAPE™ products – especially  SHAPE ClaimRemedy™ Revenue Cycle Management – streamline the doctor’s office administration, verify insurance eligibility and prepare and file claims all with embedded security that exceeds HIPAA compliance standards. The result? Quicker patient intake and 97% plus payment on first submission.

Long story short, doctor - We get you paid. And, you get to do what you’re dedicated and trained to do – provide the best health care you can for your patients.

SHAPE – Secure information at the tip of your finger.

The track record for efforts to establish formal health information exchange networks has shown promise. However, concerns about loss of competitive advantage and data misuse lessen provider and health plan willingness to contribute patient data – impeding the growth of exchange networks. This concern coupled with the costs associated with large scale data and information infrastructure has caused these efforts to flounder – or fail. Secure Service Corporation’s core philosophy and architectural design of our SHAPE^TM solutions provide the desired benefits of the exchange networks without the competitive disadvantages and costs associated with them.

The SSC Private Intellectual Architecture creates value by combining Security, Privacy, and Communication in a single environment. SHAPE Linx, our collaborative environment, meets the business needs of medical providers for HIPAA-compliant communications and increased savings and efficiency in transactions and administration. The SHAPE^TM suite of products fulfills the promise of health information exchange networks to providers with robust data protections unsurpassed in the marketplace and without the loss of competitive advantage.

While SSC’s products are technologically sophisticated and cryptographically state-of-the-art, the premise is a simple one that has so far eluded the competition. Everyone is familiar with the story of The Three Little Pigs . A system that protects only privacy can be thought of as a house made of straw. It provides privacy but it can’t stand up to the big bad wolves that are determined to breach it. A product that is built with privacy and security at the core is a house made of sticks. Better than straw – but still vulnerable.

Only SSC’s SHAPE suite of solutions built with privacy, security and surveillance tracking in a communication and collaboration environment at its core – a house made of bricks – can withstand the onslaught of the wolves and provide real value to healthcare stakeholders.

SHAPE – Secure information at the tip of your finger.

I was struck the other day by two comments made by members of our SSC staff. The first was that there is a progression of where businesses are in their journey to an electronic environment – especially in the health care industry.

Bob’s idea was that there are seven steps along the journey to a secure electronic environment for health care information. You may have a few to add or subtract one or two, but the concept struck me as sound. Bob’s steps were:

1. Paper charts
2. Paper claims
3. Electronic claims
4. Using a picture ID to establish identity
5. HIPAA compliance internal to the organizations
6. HIPAA compliance internally and externally
7. Biometric identity.

He thought that prospects and clients should consider where they are on the journey, where they wish to go and how quickly they need to get there. Then, it becomes a simple matter of helping them implement the SHAPE products and strategies to get them where they want or need to be.

The second comment was made by Brendan. His idea fit well with Bob’s. He pointed out that our solutions could help clients make the transition from drowning in paper to a paperless environment. He has found that some clients and prospects are not ready or willing to move to a paperless world. Our job is to help them make the transition – at their speed and within their needs.

Both of these ideas underscore our mission at Secure Services Corp. That is, to provide solutions that are easy to implement, economical and that provide secure and encrypted communication. And, for health care providers and others using private medical data – it’s a HIPAA-compliant environment.

SHAPE – Secure information at the tip of your finger.