Healthcare privacy and data security has become one of the major policy, technology and operations issues in American healthcare. Health plans and insurers are mandated to comply with Gramm-Leach-Bliley by July 1, 2001. The HIPAA transactions and code sets regulations are final and will become effective October, 2002. Final privacy regulations were published last year, with an effective date of April, 2003. The fate of the HIPAA privacy regulations hangs fire as the Bush Administration determines whether and to what extent to amend them. Pending HIPAA regulations on security and electronic signature standards may be issued soon. HIPAA does not preempt more restrictive state law. Thus, in effect, there are 50 state schemes in healthcare privacy and security, subject to certain federal minimum standards. This complex mix of federal and state law and regulation creates a maze through which healthcare organizations must navigate. Compliance will be not only complex, but also extremely costly as healthcare moves to electronic data interchange and the Internet.

The HIPAA Summit conference series provides a road map to understanding the complex requirements of federal and state law and illuminates strategies for compliance. The First National HIPAA Summit, October 15 - 17, 2000 in Washington, DC was attended by almost 1,500. The Second National HIPAA Summit, February 28 - March 2, 2001 in Washington, DC following the issuance of the HIPAA privacy regulation was attended by approximately 2,000. In response to overwhelming demand, HIPAA Summit West has been scheduled in San Francisco to accommodate the needs and travel schedules of Westerners.

Through a faculty of over 100, five major plenary sessions and over 40 concurrent sessions, HIPAA Summit West will go well beyond the simple recitation of the federal HIPAA law and regulations. Of course, the Summit West will provide the most up-to-date and sophisticated information on the status and construction of the HIPAA regulations through the presentations of the leading HIPAA regulators from the Department of Health and Human Services. But the Summit West will also provide focused coverage of important Gramm-Leach-Bliley requirements which become effective this summer and the privacy initiatives of the Federal Trade Commission. Further, the Summit West will provide specific and in depth analysis of the healthcare privacy and security laws of a number of major Western states. Finally, the Summit West will address the complex financial, operational and technical issues that must be addressed not only to comply with the technical requirements of the law, but also to integrate new technologies in order to enhance the efficiency, quality and accessibility of healthcare services.

• Chief Executive Officers
• Chief Operating Officers
• Chief Technology Officers
• Chief Financial Officers
• Compliance Officers
• Health Law Attorneys
• Medical Directors
• Physicians
• Managed Care Professionals
• Medical Group Managers
• Data Managers
• Ethics Officers
• Health Insurance Executives
• Consultants
• Government Agency Employees
• Health Administration Faculty
• Risk Managers
• Pharmacists
• Quality Assurance Professionals
• Registered Nurses
• Long Term Care Professionals
• Billing and Coding Professionals
• Third Party Billing Professionals
• Software developers
• System vendors
• System integrators

• Provide a Basic Background to Healthcare Privacy and Security Laws and Regulations, Including FTC, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, State Laws and HIPAA
• Present Case Studies in Healthcare Privacy and Security Initiatives by Advanced Health Plans, Hospitals and Health Systems, Physician Organizations and System Developers
• Describe in Detail the Most Prominent Regional and Multi-Institutional Approaches to Compliance with Healthcare Privacy and Security Requirements
• Make Available the Major Technological Tools for Compliance with HIPAA and other Mandates
• Compare Privacy and Security Efforts in Other Industries to Those Being Undertaken in Healthcare
• Establish Operational, Administrative and Financial Strategies to be Utilized in Healthcare Privacy and Security Compliance Efforts