How To Become HIPAA Certified To Protect Personal Health Data

HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was passed into law way back in 1996. The legislation governs the ways in which patients’ private health information is allowed to be stored, used or disseminated. If you own a business that routinely requires access to consumers’ personal information relating to their health, learning how to comply with HIPPA should be the first thing you do to protect your business and its customers. Learn how to become HIPAA certified below.

Focus On Your Business Model

Before pursuing HIPAA compliance, a business owner must determine the size and scope of enterprise operations. HIPPA laws set forth a number of differing guidelines and regulations. The HIPAA compliance laws you will be held to could be different than that expected of a similar business of a larger size, or a business that operates in a different capacity. Once you are aware that not all businesses are held to the same HIPAA compliance regulations, you will be able to start learning how to become HIPAA certified for your unique business model.

Read The Text

Next, business owners should read the actual text of the HIPAA law on their own. Reading the text in its entirety is not necessary, but you should certainly read 45 CFR Parts 160, 162, and 164. Those are the sections in which the privacy rule is detailed. Reading the legislation firsthand will give you the information you need to ensure that your business is HIPAA compliant. As you read, take notes. You can reference those later when it comes time to enact HIPAA policies and create a HIPAA compliant operation plan.

Consider Getting A Little Help

Once you know the text firsthand, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a third party HIPAA compliance expert. Working with HIPAA compliance solutions specialists ensures that you do not miss a single detail in meeting HIPAA regulations. This is crucial. The consequences of even a single HIPAA violation are quite severe. Outsourcing HIPAA compliance is the easiest way to ensure that your business has taken every precaution to protect customers’ private health information. Consider this step before you start creating HIPAA compliant process on your own.

Train Employees

If you have put HIPAA compliant operations and policies in place, you need to then begin training your employees on these HIPAA regulations. Employees are not required to become HIPAA certified on their own. Instead, business owners are able to provide informal training on the fundamentals of HIPAA laws. However, all employees must attend the training, regardless of whether or not they actually use the unified technologies on which patient information is contained. They must also sign off on a statement that they underwent HIPAA training before beginning to perform their job duties. Once you have provided HIPAA training for employees, you can finally move on to the final step in learning how to become HIPAA certified.

Select A Coordinator

Once you have trained all employees, pick one to undergo further, more intensive training. Once the employee has completed additional HIPAA compliance training, appoint them HIPAA Compliance Coordinator for your business. In order to ensure that your business remains HIPAA compliant throughout your years in operation, it needs to be able to respond to ever-evolving government regulations. HIPAA regulations frequently change to meet new demands in the healthcare market. Appointing a Coordinator of HIPAA Compliance is the only way to guarantee that your business never gets found in a state of HIPAA noncompliance after legislative modifications and altering market demands.

Learn how to become HIPAA certified for business by following the steps detailed above. The first thing a business owner should do is consider the size and scope of business operations in order to identify the appropriate HIPAA regulations that fit your unique business model. Next, the business owner should familiarize themselves with the HIPAA law text on their own, and consider getting a little assistance from outsourced HIPAA compliance solutions companies to enact necessary changes. Then, you can train employees and appoint a HIPAA compliance officer to ensure that your business office safety is maintained and its customers’ personal health information is safe and secure. Once you do, you will officially make your business HIPAA compliant.

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