HIPAA is the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The main aim of HIPAA is to make it easier for people to keep health insurance in case they lose or switch jobs, keep health information confidential and help the healthcare industry control administrative costs.
HIPAA is a series of rules and regulations that provide patient protections and define patients’ rights regarding their own health records. It tries to strike a balance between protecting people’s sensitive information and allowing that information to be disclosed for the purpose of providing medical care. The rules also detail standards and protocols individuals and organizations must follow to “assure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability” of electronic health records.
HIPAA applies to 2 groups: covered entities and business associates.
What is a ‘Covered Entity’ (CE)?: A covered entity could be a health plan, health care organization or health care provider who electronically transmits any health information.
What is a ‘Business Associate’ (BA)?: A business associate is a person or entity that performs certain activities that may involve the use or disclosure of protected health information (or offer services) to a covered entity.
Doctors
Pharmacies
Health insurance companies
Company health plans
Attorney
IT providers
Billing and coding service providers
Laboratories
As a covered entity or business associate, you are legally responsible for safeguarding the privacy of your patients’ protected health information (PHI). But the reality is that a rising number of healthcare companies experience breaches of PHI and fail to comply with HIPAA privacy and security rules. Companies and individuals need to ensure that they remain HIPAA compliant, always.
Cases of compliance failure can lead to:
Fines: Hefty fines being levied against you.
Penalties: Big penalties could negatively affect your business
Investigations: Federal and state investigations with strict legal liabilities
Online HIPAA compliance training courses play a vital role in ensuring that employees receive adequate training on the subject and act in accordance with the law. To be HIPAA compliant, it is imperative that all employees on the job be aware of the security rules and regulations involved. With effective training, at least 80% of all breaches can be prevented if employees receive appropriate training in addition to ongoing HIPAA awareness courses.
Benefits of Online HIPAA Training
This article reviews what HIPAA is, who is required to complete HIPAA compliance training, and what that training entails.
HIPAA employee training can take many formats. Here are the main options organizations have for providing HIPAA training for their employees.
In this article, we review the main types of HIPAA compliance training. Read through to understand what kind of training you need.