Are HIPAA compliance certifications legit?

You will find that many third-party organizations claim that by using their solutions, be it training, consultancy, or an application, you will “achieve” HIPAA compliance and you will be provided with a HIPAA compliance certification badge. By showing a “HIPAA Compliant” badge on your promotional materials, you will attract more opportunities, but you can not rest easy once you get it.

Realistically, having HIPAA compliance certification means that your organization understands and ensures that it is following all the various HIPAA rules and regulations. The “HIPAA Compliant” badge gives your employees a sense of confidence and instills trust in the vendors working with you.

However, HIPAA compliance certification does not necessarily mean that your organization, whether a business associate of a covered entity, is currently HIPAA compliant. It simply means that you are well-versed in HIPAA rules and regulations and have met the requirements of the certification providers. At most, it means that you are complying with HIPAA regulations at a point in time.

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“HIPAA Compliant” can be somewhat misleading as there is no official or recognized training, application, or any other process which can make you HIPAA compliant. Everything you see regarding HIPAA certification is unofficial and is not endorsed by official parties. There is a valid reason behind this, the point that has been made in many of our articles – HIPAA compliance is a complex and continuous process. While an organization can be assessed as being compliant today, it does not guarantee that it will do so successfully tomorrow or in the future. If that was the case, then numerous healthcare organizations and vendors would not have faced data breaches, employees would not have inadvertently looked at patients’ medical records, and so on. Moreover, HIPAA rules are updated regularly with the changing times, availability of new technology, and the environment, and these factors can make the certification obsolete, and the organization would need to go through another “certification” procedure.

While an organization may opt for certification for peace of mind, the organization should also ensure compliance in the future. Certification shows an understanding of the HIPAA rules and regulations, and also instills confidence in employees, as well as patients and vendors alike.

To learn how you can streamline your compliance efforts, check out HIPAA Ready.

Source:
HIPAA Compliance Certification – Do you actually need it?