HIPAA Compliance Training- Its Importance and Benefits

HIPAA’s far-reaching standards have made HIPAA compliance training for staff members of organizations absolutely crucial so that an organization can meet its responsibilities without being penalized.

Every organization faces problems of data loss due to loss or theft of devices, data theft, and negligence on the part of an employee. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that more than half of data breaches are caused internally, and the majority indicates that lack of employee training is directly related. A data breach of protected health information (PHI) is also one of the major factors contributing to medical identity theft. 

No matter what sector of the healthcare industry you are working in, being up-to-date and aware of HIPAA regulations is necessary.

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A few benefits of HIPAA compliance training and awareness are:

A better understanding of the infringements

If HIPAA is violated and the resulting investigations determine that the lack of training was partly the cause, then the covered entity or the business associate can be deemed negligent, and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) may fine the organization. Fines range from a minimum of $100 to $50,000 per violation with a maximum of up to $1.5 million per violation annually, depending on the level of carelessness. Regularly conducting HIPAA compliance training can ensure that staff members are always up-to-date with the stipulations and do not take actions that can violate the HIPAA law. 

A better understanding of the problematic areas

HIPAA compliance training can be useful to educate members of the workforce on how to detect problematic areas or situations that may cause more problems. Problems may come in various forms such as a flaw in the security system, unprotected devices that contain ePHI, improper disposal of devices, or files that contain patients’ information or reveal sensitive information during a casual discussion. Leaks of information may lead to further problems such as medical identity theft. Preventing medical identity theft is a major concern for healthcare providers and proper HIPAA compliance training can ensure that your staff members have a better understanding of all the precautions they need to take to prevent these problems.

Better compliance

It has been found that HIPAA violations most often stem from employees making inadvertent mistakes or due to lack of training – most employees will not violate a HIPAA law intentionally. Providing HIPAA compliance training to your team and staff members and undertaking tests on these topics regularly will assist employees to act in ways that are compliant. Moreover, documenting these training sessions in software like HIPAA Ready will ensure a document trail and benefit your organization during an audit.

HIPAA compliance training for legal obligations

For covered entities and some organizations, it is mandatory to provide HIPAA compliance training to the staff members. The law also requires that these training sessions be documented. In the case of incidents that lead to data loss where training logs have not been properly maintained and updated, it would be nearly impossible to convince officials that the breach was not a result of a lack of training. 

Better HIPAA compliance training with HIPAA Ready

HIPAA Ready is a HIPAA compliance software and a one-stop solution for all your HIPAA compliance management processes. With an effective and simple HIPAA compliance training management system, this software will ensure that all your employees are aware and up-to-date with the requirements that HIPAA mandates. 

By using HIPAA Ready, you will be limiting financial risks by avoiding violations, and you will save valuable time and money, and most importantly, reduce human errors. In addition to training management, HIPAA Ready includes a digital checklist of tasks, policy, a procedure customization center, and a database for storing and maintaining documents.

As the workforce keeps growing in the healthcare industry it is essential employees receive proper guidance to keep up with HIPAA’s standard. The healthcare industry is an ever-changing landscape and with HIPAA Ready you no longer need to worry about your compliance management processes.