The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA is a law that was enforced in 1996 by the United States Congress. It was brought in action so that people who lost their jobs could still continue with their medical insurance plans for themselves and their immediate family members. This provision also helps fund insurance costs when these people are in the middle of changing jobs and are unemployed for a short time. HIPAA also aims at protecting patients medical records so that it doesn’t get in the hands of unauthorized people.

As with other laws, you have to follow them strictly, or else you may have to face serious repercussions. In order to enable employees of healthcare organizations to follow HIPAA rules and regulations properly, HIPAA training is made available. On completion of this training you will be aware of privacy and security issues when dealing with patients and their health records.

Healthcare organizations including hospitals, clinics, and others are required to get their employees trained in all the aspects of this act. Without training, the employees will be unable to adequately take care of the patients’ medical records. The records need to be stored, maintained, and used when needed. HIPPA states that the patient is the sole owner of his/her own medical record. Hence, he/she gets to decide who can access it and who cannot, including family members. General HIPAA awareness information can be found on the internet but if your work requires you to deal with medical records regularly; you will need to be certified.

The consequences of misuse of private patient information or violation of the HIPAA laws are severe. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the employers to make sure that their employees are trained and are complying with the guidelines laid down by HIPAA.

Here are four of the many reasons why you need HIPAA certification as a healthcare employee.

-If you are an employee in the medical industry, you must be aware of the rules and regulations laid down by HIPAA. This not only benefits you but also your employers and the organization as a whole.

-The main aim of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is that health insurance should be made available to all employees regardless of their job status. A certified person will be able to explain all the aspects of HIPAA and clear any doubts.

-Once you understand the rules of the act well, you will be able to comply with them better. This means lesser or no violations; which in turn mean that there is no need for you to shell out fines.

-If you a HIPAA certified professional, you will be able to benefit your organization in many ways. One way is that when a new set of employees join the organization, you can volunteer to train them. This will also cause you to gain appreciation by your employers.

It is ultimately the responsibility of the employees to comply with the rules and regulations of HIPAA and protect patient confidential information. To do your job well, it will be beneficial for you to obtain HIPAA certification as soon as you can.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certification website.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certification website at http://www.hipaaexams.com/hipaa-certification.asp

Author Bio: For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certification website.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: HIPAA Certification