The use, maintenance, storage, and sharing of sensitive patient information is controlled by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA is a federal law which was enforced in 1996 by the United States Congress. Any company or organization that deals with health information of people falls under the guidelines stipulated by this law. The employees of these organizations and companies are required to know these guidelines through HIPAA training.

HIPAA training is sometimes provided to the employees by the employers or else it can be undertaken individually too. At the end of the training, you receive a certificate of completion. Although, it is not mandatory by law for an individual or organization to be certified, you may choose to become certified through the many institutes that provide training. There are many different levels or types of training, including security and privacy, Administrator and Transaction certificates, and so on. HIPAA training can be undertaken in a classroom setting and also online through the internet. Depending on convenience and other factors, individuals and companies can decide how they want to obtain their certification.

Here are four steps that will teach you how to become HIPAA certified.

-Look for a reputed training institute that offers the level of training you require. Also, you should check to see if the course is accredited. The basic HIPPA course is suitable for awareness and basic knowledge of HIPAA, whereas the Administrative certificates are more detailed and deal with use and storage of patient data and records. Transaction certificates are for those who work with electronic patient records, as are security certifications. They also include training regarding medical coding and encryption of protected information.

-Take time out to attend all the training classes. In case of online training, you can access training material from your home itself. However, for classroom-based training, you have to travel to the training centre. If there are many employees that need to be trained, your organization may arrange for the session to be conducted at your work place itself.

-At the end of the course, there will be a test. You must take this test and on successful completion, you will receive your completion certificate.

-The U.S Department of Health and Human Services have a website where any alterations and additions to the HIPAA laws are regularly updated. You must visit this website regularly so you can be up-to-date with the latest developments.

Although, basic information about HIPAA is available on the website for free, formal training is always advisable for healthcare employees. As these HIPAA certification programs are not always cheap, look around till you get an economical deal.

It is very easy to get certification today, especially with the increasing popularity of the online training programs. Be careful of false statements that HIPAA certification is mandated by law. It is not. However, HIPAA awareness is definitely mandatory. Healthcare organizations are required to sign awareness forms which are filed and stored with their records.

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