Direct HIT                                                

Lafayette, CO – Direct HIT, Inc. www.DirectHealthIT.com a healthcare management and information technology (IT) consulting firm today launched an enhanced Data Loss Prevention Program designed to assist healthcare organizations in guarding against physical, cyber and security issues that may give rise to identity theft risks. 

The Data Loss Preparedness program enables HIPPA compliance and aligns with the August 1 deadline for the Federal Trade Commission Red Flag Rules, requiring any organization, including healthcare facilities, entrusted with Protected Health information (PHI) to safeguard this data against deliberate or inadvertent misuse or disclosure.   HITECH passed rules that further strengthen HIPPA enforcement, creating data breach notifications mandatory and facilities liable for PHI data loss. 

“We are committed to assisting our clients prepare for these new best practices requirements”, states Paul Caracciolo CEO of Direct HIT Consulting.  “Data loss has cost some hospitals millions in mitigation.  Our goal is to help healthcare facilities secure protected patient health information and demonstrate compliance.”

Direct HIT Consulting uses proprietary tools and proven methodologies that audit and address the specific needs of the facility and our experts will work with you to understand your unique data security requirements and priorities.  The customized audit and report outlines how the facility can protect confidential data such as patient medical histories, diagnostic results, network physician data, financials and research plans as well as identifying their risk from third party vendors and identity theft overall.

 Among the program’s key features are:

• Proprietary Risk Assessment is a powerful analytical tool for facilities that need help detecting existing data risk hot-spots and determining how well protected the exposures are at current security levels.
• Incident Response Plan designed to help facilities understand how confidential data is being used and whether the user is on or off the corporate network.  Security review of the network, domain, user controls and accounts allows the facility to identify possible breaches. 
• Data Protection Report allows facilities to gain visibility into policy violations to proactively secure data and prevent confidential data from leaving the organization. 
• Regulatory Compliance Audit & Report (HIPPA) provides a review of major clinical applications.  PHI access determination audit identifies when employees or contractors have sent, downloaded or copied confidential data.  PCI controls for credit card and financial info compliance.  Security review of intellectual property and confidential document controls for the legal department. 

LAFAYETTE, CO. — July 27, 2009 — Direct HIT, a healthcare information technology (IT) consulting company, today announced the appointment of Susan Walker as Vice President of Business Development. 

Ms. Walker brings more than 12 years of healthcare strategic planning and operational experience across a wide spectrum of provider and payer environments focusing on technology-based solutions for the improvement of the clinical process and patient care quality.   As a healthcare executive, Ms. Walker has served as Vice President of two Fortune 500 companies assisting them with technology alliances and market expansion.  In addition to her work in the healthcare provider market, Susan has worked with leading technology vendors internationally in the development, strategic planning and integration of healthcare IT solutions for both providers and payors. 

 “As a leading provider of technology and consulting services to the healthcare industry, Direct HIT is delighted to add Susan Walker to our Executive Team, particularly at a time when the healthcare market represents Direct HIT’s best growth opportunity.  Susan’s significant experience in the healthcare industry on a national level, along with the breadth and depth of her healthcare expertise and relationships, will be extremely valuable as we continue our primary strategic focus on growing both our healthcare provider and payer practices", states Paul Caracciolo, Principal at Direct HIT.

Ms. Walker has a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Minnesota.  Prior to her affiliation with Direct HIT, Susan held executive roles with HealthGate, Elsevier and AGFA where she led corporate initiatives in the areas of business development, marketing and strategic alliances globally. 

Backed by over 40 years’ combined experience, Direct HIT provides healthcare IT consulting, EMR preparedness, interim staffing  and IT integration and infrastructure strategy to help payer and provider clients focus on their core businesses and use IT as a competitive advantage to excel in their markets. Our IT professionals have a proven track record of delivering solutions that work. More information about Direct HIT is available on the Web at www.DirectHealthIT.com