The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) is well known among healthcare professionals. Though not as popular as HIPAA, HITECH (Health information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) also aims to protect confidential patient health information alongside HIPAA.

The Texas government passed another law, HB 300 in 2011 as they were concerned that HITECH and HIPAA were not able to completely protect and guarantee the safety of private health information. This law became effective in September 2012. HB 300 impacts all individuals and organizations that come in contact with patient health information, including health care organizations and law firms. Thus it is essential for even attorneys to be aware of the stringent rules and regulations of this law.

Organizations and individuals that classify as “covered entities” will need to comply with certain new regulations and be aware of the penalties that come with the Texas law HB 300. Here are three new requirements that you should be aware of.

– Texas HB 300 Training: This law requires that all covered entities must provide continuous HB 300 training for all their employees with regard to state and federal law that impacts the protection of patient health information. Employees should get specialized training in accordance with their specific work functions. The law goes on to mandate that within 60 days of a new employee’s joining date, he/she must finish the Texas HB 300 training. As the training is a continuous one, it must be reviewed every two years. As with HIPAA, HB 300 also requires the organizations to keep a written record of every employee’s training attendance.

– Patient rights with respect to EHR (Electronic Health Records): Since the HB 300 law was enforced; all covered entities are required to supply the patients who request for a copy of their EHR, within 15 days of them making this request in written. Under the new requirement, Attorney General of Texas must create a website that contains information about privacy rights of patients as per the new Texas law. The law strictly prohibits the selling of patient health information and organizations need patient consents regarding the electronic disclosure of their health information.

– New Penalties: Unauthorized disclosure of patient’s private health information will lead to civil penalties, aside to other penalties on indication of violation of federal laws. Under HB 300, penalties can range from $5000 to $1.5 million dollar in one year. The jury will consider certain factors to determine the amount of penalty, which are, the gravity of the violation, compliance history of the covered entity, harmful impact on the patient, steps taken to correct the problem, and the sum needed to prevent further violations.

This is a brief summary of all the new requirements that have emerged as per the Texas HB 300. It is up to individuals and organizations that are “covered entities” to properly study and analyze these new rules and regulations. This can be best done by attending the Texas HB 300 training program.

For more information, please visit our Texas HB300 Training website.

For more information, please visit our Texas HB300 Training website.

For more information, please visit our Texas HB300 Training website http://www.hipaaexams.com/sunshine-act.asp

Author Bio: For more information, please visit our Texas HB300 Training website.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: Texas HB300 Training