Final answer:
The five areas mandated by DHHS for secure maintenance of e-PHI include administrative safeguards, physical safeguards, technical safeguards, organizational requirements, and policies and procedures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The five areas that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) mandates each covered entity to address for secure maintenance of electronic protected health information (e-PHI) are:
- Administrative Safeguards: This includes the development of policies and procedures to manage the selection, implementation, and maintenance of security measures.
- Physical Safeguards: This involves the physical protection of the systems that store and process e-PHI, such as securing offices and data centers.
- Technical Safeguards: These are the measures taken to protect e-PHI stored electronically, like access controls, encryption, and audit controls.
- Organizational Requirements: This addresses the need for covered entities to have contracts and agreements in place that ensure their business associates and subcontractors also comply with HIPAA requirements.
- Policies and Procedures: Covered entities must have documented policies and procedures that govern the use and disclosure of e-PHI and ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations.