The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996 with the primary objective of protecting confidential patient information. There are various circumstances due to which this protected information is accessed by employees in hospitals, clinics and insurance companies. There is always a danger that this protected information could be used for commercial reasons. This is one of the primary reasons as to why it needs to be protected from unauthorized access.
There are also restrictions on the number of times that confidential information of individual patients can be accessed and it is important that people who access it are aware about it. Employees who work in "covered entities" as specified in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act need to be properly trained so that they are able to access this confidential information carefully. The regulations of HIPAA are quite stringent and any unintentional or intentional violation attracts many penalties. The penalties could include fines or imprisonment depending on the nature and extent of the violation.
What Are The 5 Issues That You Need To Be Aware About In HIPAA Training?
It is important that all employers of health care service providers (covered entities) arrange for a HIPAA training session for their employees so that they become aware of the various rules and regulations that are stipulated by the Act. The HIPAA training can be done by just a section of the employees who handle this protected information or all employees of the covered entities. The training sessions can usually last for a couple of hours and employees should be encouraged to ask questions so that they are able to get a better understanding of HIPAA and its various rules and regulations. The training will also provide information to employees about the various penalties for non compliance of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The penalties can be civil and criminal depending on the extent of the violation. The training will also ensure that all provisions of the Act are complied with and there are minimum unintentional violations. There are various physical and technical safeguards that need to be implemented to keep the protected information safe and secure and the training will provide employees with the guidelines to do so. This will also help prevent any unauthorized access to the protected information of the patient. After the training period is completed, employees will need to take a test to check whether they have understood all the concepts of HIPAA clearly. Employees who have successfully completed the test will be awarded a certification. The certification would mean that these employees are proficient in the privacy and security rules of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.There have been several modifications made in HIPAA since its introduction in 1996. The training should be a continuous process for employees as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act can get updated at regular intervals. The covered entities can have specific policies that are related to HIPAA and this should be in compliance with the overall act.
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