The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that was brought into action in 1996 by the United States Congress. One of its primary aims is non-disclosure of private patient information and this law is responsible for protecting the health records of patients.

All the healthcare organizations and other companies under HIPAA are known as ‘covered entities’. These covered entities need to make sure that all their employees who deal with patients and their records must be trained about HIPAA and its laws. This is to make sure that employees comply with the rules and regulations of the act.

The website of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services contains all the training material that can be downloaded by employees. The website will also display any changes or additions that may take place in the guidelines of the act.

Here are five things you should know about HIPAA certification.

-Whatever people may say, the law does not mandate you to be HIPAA certified. However, your healthcare organization may require you to be aware of the act if you are dealing with patient records. Only private institutes offer HIPAA training. If you do not prefer the in-class training, there are many websites that have these certification programs and you can enroll in one such program.

-‘Covered entities’ include health care organizations and insurance companies. They need to ensure that their employees who deal with access, use, and storage of patient information, be trained regarding the HIPAA rules and regulations. There are various classroom-based as well as online classes available and you can choose the one most suitable to your needs.

-There are different levels of HIPAA certification and you must choose the appropriate one based on your job requirement. For e.g. if you are not directly dealing with the use and sharing of sensitive information you can enroll in the general HIPAA awareness course.

-HIPAA certification courses will cover all areas of this act including general awareness, security and privacy rules, administrative and technical requirements, and so on.

-In addition to all the aspects of HIPAA rules and regulations, the certification classes also cover information about penalties that are imposed as a result of non-compliance. Employees are trained to follow various safeguards when accessing patient information. The act does not make any distinction between unintentional and intentional violations and severe penalties are imposed.

The employers must inform the employees of any additions or changes made to HIPAA rules and regulations. This is done so that everyone is aware of the newest updates and to ensure there is no scope for non-compliance due to ignorance.

Proper training is essential for employees. If do not understand the rules, they will not be able to comply with them. Online certification courses have made it very convenient for you to learn all about HIPAA. This kind of training is economical and therefore preferred by everyone these days.

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

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certification website.

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

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

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: HIPAA Certification