The TRUTH About Certified HIPAA Training

HIPAA exists to protect patients and their health information. It applies to covered entities such as health plans, healthcare providers, and healthcare clearinghouses. More specifically, HIPAA laws and regulations apply to any organization that deals with ePHI.

LINKS:
____________________________________________

https://etactics.com/blog/certified-h...
____________________________________________

Eventually, the HHS conducts audits of the organizations. As a covered entity, you need to prepare documentation in advance of these audits. These documents need to prove that you have received HIPAA training. Would a series of certified HIPAA training courses be enough to show that you are HIPAA compliant? Could a paper certificate be enough for the auditor?

Essentially, certified training courses don’t exist. What I mean by this is that the HHS doesn’t certify any specific programs. This is because HIPAA compliance isn’t tangible.

Therefore, "certified" training modules cannot guarantee compliance. Taking the training doesn’t make you or your team compliant with the laws. It simply makes sure you are familiar with them. You need to know that your actions are compliant when dealing with PHI.

If you see any businesses that claim their training will certify your organization for HIPAA compliance, be wary. Keep your guard up if you see any badge labeling a training as “certified” since the HHS doesn’t provide these endorsements.

Any company can label itself as having “certified” training, but that doesn’t carry any special value. That isn’t to say that these programs aren’t effective. They very well may include all the necessary components to pass an audit.

Alright, so if you can’t always trust training labeled “certified,” then you need to vet the programs before buying one. Or maybe you decide to create your own training so that you avoid these marketing ploys. Either way, there are certain components that training needs to include so that you can pass required audits.

Effective training is a balancing act. It needs to properly educate the viewer on the subject at hand, yet it must also be engaging so that employees remember what they learned.

Making sure they understand these topics can be difficult since HIPAA laws are dense and complicated. A few of the required topics include the Privacy Rule, Security Rule, Enforcement Rule, Breach Notification Rule, Final Omnibus Rule, and the HITECH ACT.

The Office of Civil Rights doesn't offer official documentation for demonstrating adequate knowledge of the HIPAA laws and regulations. This is because HIPAA compliance is ongoing. One action or misstep can break compliance. Therefore, these certifications have no legal benefits but they do provide value in other ways.

You can help the auditing process through the use of certifications. In this scenario, certificates show proof of compliance. These records can show how each employee performed in the training along with timestamps of when they completed it.

They also help instill confidence by giving a sense of accomplishment that leads to more certainty in day-to-day responsibilities. Why would that be important? Many HIPAA violations occur due to employee actions and their knowledge of HIPAA regulations. Out of 1,000 business owners, almost 50% of them said that human error was the reason for a breach that they experienced.

Additionally, certificates create value through continual improvement. Implementing annual training programs allows you to update your employees on any changes to the laws regarding PHI. The laws protecting patients and their health records are subject to change. Since certificates usually have an expiration date, employees need to retake training as needed. This ensures that your organization conducts frequent periodic training.

Certified HIPAA training is complex and involves many technicalities. While there are requirements that organizations need to follow, there are no true “certified” programs. The HHS doesn’t administer or endorse certifications since compliance is ongoing. Even if all employees take the training, a single action could lead to non-compliance and legal consequences.

Even though there also aren’t official certificates, using them still has benefits for the auditing process. They can indicate that everyone on your team completed the training and when they completed it. This helps prove that it was within a reasonable timeframe.

► Reach out to Etactics @ https://www.etactics.com​
►Subscribe: https://rb.gy/pso1fq​ to learn more tips and tricks in healthcare, health IT, and cybersecurity.
►Find us on LinkedIn:   / etactics-inc  
►Find us on Facebook:   / ​  

#HIPAATraining #CertifiedHIPAATraining