Does your company need to be HIPAA compliant?
If you’re in the health industry or do business with healthcare organizations and have access to protected health information (PHI), you’re required to comply with HIPAA rules. Failure to do so could trigger hefty fines and penalties.
Penalties charged from noncompliance range from $100 to $50,000 per incident. Besides, violations, especially those that fall on the “wilful negligence” category, could also carry criminal charges that could land you in jail.
How can you ensure your business is HIPAA compliant? The answer is simple: get a HIPAA certification.
What’s a HIPAA Certification?
This is a certification to confirm that the rules contained in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 are understood and followed to the letter.
Simply put, it’s a certification that shows you’re abiding by the HIPAA rules.
How to Get HIPAA Certification
There are two ways to get it:
1. Third Party Audits
This option requires you to hire a HIPAA compliance expert or company to confirm that your services, products, procedures, administrative safeguards, and policies meet HIPAA standards.
When should you go for this option? If you don’t provide healthcare, but you do business with HIPAA-covered entities once in a while, this option is right for you.
The external auditors will audit your systems and give you a HIPAA compliance certificate to confirm that you’re following HIPAA regulations.
If you’ve not attained the minimum requirements, they’ll also give you advice on how you can improve your policies and procedures for your company to become HIPAA-compliant.
2. HIPAA Training
This is where you choose a reputable and experienced HIPAA training company to teach you and your employees the aspects of HIPAA that are relevant to your organization.
Once you’ve completed the training, the HIPAA compliance company will give you a certification that verifies that you understand HIPAA rules and will follow them.
Types of HIPAA Compliance Certification
There four types HIPAA compliance certification. Here they are.
1. Privacy and Administrator Certification
This certification is backed by the federal government and is a requirement for all employees and contractors under the U.S Department of Health and Human Resource.
This HIPAA compliance certification delves deeper into the collection, handling, storage, and use of data.
2. Certified HIPAA Professional (CHP)
This certification indicates basic knowledge of HIPAA compliance. The course mostly covers the history of HIPAA and does not ask for educational prerequisites.
This certification is a must-have for all employees with access to protected health information.
3. Certified HIPAA Administrator (CHA)
This HIPAA compliance certification is most useful to people who deliver or oversee the delivery of healthcare services. They include doctors, nurses, clinical officers, and hospital administrators.
This program mostly covers data privacy compliance and HIPAA legislation.
Those with this certification have in-depth knowledge to meet HIPAA requirements. They also know how these rules affect the organization and patients on a day-to-day basis.
4. Certified HIPAA Security Specialist
This is a high-level certification program. You can only qualify for this HIPAA compliance certification if you hold a CHP certificate.
The program focuses on the technical aspects of HIPAA. It’s mostly useful to those who have an IT background.
Which Option Should You Choose?
Despite possible financial constraints, hiring a HIPAA training company to train you and your employees is the best option.
Here is why.
Reducing Violations
When you and your employees undergo HIPAA training, you can be sure of better HIPAA compliance and fewer violations.
The number of accidental violation will also reduce significantly.
You’ll Be Able to Identify PHI
With such a wide range of information in the health sector, it’s hard for you to figure out which information is PHI and which one is not.
When you undergo HIPAA training, you’ll know what PHI entails, and this will help ensure you don’t make any mistakes.
Building Confidence
HIPAA training will help your employees to build the confidence they need to collect, store, and process PHI. This will, in turn, lead to better services, which will boost your organization’s reputation and professional image.
You’ll Be on the Safe Side
If your business is hit with a HIPAA issue, you could lose a lot of money or go to jail. You could also lose your license to do business.
Hiring a training company will help ensure you abide by the HIPAA rules. This will protect you and your business from costly fines and penalties. You’ll also avoid the trap into which LabMD Inc fell.
Flexibility
When everyone in your team is aware of HIPAA rules and regulations, it’ll be easy for your company to adapt to new HIPAA changes.
Trustworthiness
HIPAA compliance will show your clients that you know how to safely correct, store, and process data, and this will make them trust you more.
Increased trustworthiness will, in turn, make it easy for them to share their personal information with you.
Peace of Mind
Organizations that don’t know much about HIPAA are always worried about compliance. This makes it difficult for them to focus on growth and profitability.
If you hire a training company, you’ll never have to worry about HIPAA compliance. You’ll have an opportunity to focus on propelling your healthcare business to new heights.
When you’ve completed the course, make sure you take a test to check your understanding of HIPAA rules and regulations. Also, before you choose the certification program, it’s essential to ensure it meets your organization’s needs.
You should also be careful when choosing a HIPAA training company. Always select the reputable and experienced companies. Choose a company with a rich portfolio.
Convenience is also another factor that you should consider when choosing a training company. Some companies offer online training while others require you and your team to travel to their training center.
It’s advisable to choose a company that will not affect your regular schedule.
Wrapping Up
A HIPAA certification is a valuable asset to your company. It’ll help avoid penalties and compliance issues. Do everything possible to get it.
Don’t be afraid to invest in HIPAA training to help your company become HIPAA compliant.
Remember to check out our blog for more posts about HIPAA compliance.