The Director's office has been on the road this week. Julie Morris is hard at work getting the message out in Anchorage to field supervisors and staff regarding HIPAA, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Implementation of this Act is not optional and the effective date has descended upon us. We must bring our forms and procedures into compliance with the federal regulations.
The new federal regulations are a bit difficult to interpret, and DHSS HIPAA team members, including Julie have had their hands full, understanding what we must do to comply with the new federal law. This is a common situation for new federal regs and clarification will undoubtedly come from the U.S. Government after some time has passed. In the meanwhile, please support Julie and your managers in their efforts to make our processes and forms compliant with federal law.
DPA is heavily funded by federal dollars. Remember that the U.S. funds we use to pay benefits for our clients and provide for our own operations come with responsibility. I want to thank the Fairbanks offices for hosting me this week. It was a pleasure to meet all of you.
Have a great week, everyone.
Anthony M. Lombardo
Director
Division of Public Assistance