Here’s the truth: using a HIPAA compliance manual for your compliance program is outdated, almost as if you were using Windows 96 to run your practice’s computers.
HIPAA compliance manuals were the first iteration of the HIPAA compliance program 20 years ago when HIPAA was first enacted. At that time, compliance manuals did a fine job. However, HIPAA has undergone drastic additions and revisions in the past two decades, and you need a modern solution to truly protect your practice.
New Rules have been added and entirely new segments of the healthcare market are now required to be HIPAA compliant. To effectively use a HIPAA compliance manual to operate your organization’s HIPAA compliance program today, you’d need a binder that stretched thousands of pages (and probably resembled something more like a filing cabinet…).
Changes to HIPAA Compliance
HIPAA rules and regulations have undergone significant changes since 1996. The most significant changes were in the form of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, the Breach Notification Rule, the Omnibus Rule, and the HITECH Act. Each of these rules and regulations come with their own implementation standards.
Some, like the HITECH Act were enacted to account for changes in medical technology. Others, like the Omnibus Rule, mandated that HIPAA business associates (BAs) be HIPAA compliant in addition to covered entities (CEs) — BAs include all third-party healthcare vendors that handle healthcare data.
That’s why, when it comes to using a HIPAA compliance manual, you’re playing a losing game. When using a HIPAA compliance manual, there’s no way to address the constantly changing face of the HIPAA regulation, especially when HIPAA requires that policies and procedures be updated and reviewed annually.
So what’s the solution? Ditch your HIPAA compliance manual and adopt a software solution that is made for the modern healthcare practice.
HIPAA Compliance Solutions for You
HIPAA compliance software is the most effective means of keeping up to date with your HIPAA compliance in today’s digital world.
Gone are the days where a HIPAA compliance manual alone can keep you protected. New and efficient ways of tracking your HIPAA compliance are out there. Struggling to make sense of your HIPAA compliance manual can be a thing of the past just by signing up for a HIPAA compliance software.
With a HIPAA compliance solution that works for you, you’ll be able to access templated policies and procedures that you can customize to the unique needs of your practice. HIPAA training becomes just as simple with individualized employee logins. Instead of closing the office for an afternoon of stale HIPAA training, employees can view interactive videos and read and attest to policies and procedures on their down time throughout the day.
Additionally, an effective HIPAA compliance solution should incorporate business associate and vendor management–something you’d never be able to achieve with a HIPAA compliance manual alone. Executing and documenting Business Associate Agreements and Vendor Agreements from the same portal as the rest of your compliance program saves you time and keeps your documentation organized without the need for more paper.
In addition to the policies and procedures you get with an effective HIPAA compliance solution, you’ll get everything you need to address the full extent of the federal regulation.
Stress-Free HIPAA Compliance
An effective HIPAA compliance solution does more than just replace your HIPAA compliance manual — it gives you the peace of mind that your HIPAA compliance is being fully addressed in one place. Rather than having to worry about tracking different HIPAA initiatives throughout the year, all you need to do is log in and find everything there exactly as you left it.
By creating a culture of compliance, you’re showing your patients that you care about the integrity of their sensitive health data while protecting your practice from the growing numbers of data breaches and government fines.
Get More than a HIPAA Compliance Manual
With Compliancy Group, you’ll get everything you need to ditch your HIPAA compliance manual for good. Compliancy Group’s web-based compliance software is a total solution built to address each and every element of HIPAA compliance.
Self-audits. Healthcare organizations are required to complete six self-audits annually. Self-audits measure the safeguards that you have in place securing PHI to determine whether or not they adhere to HIPAA standards.
Gap identification and remediation. By completing self-audits, gaps in your safeguards are identified. To be HIPAA compliant, you must address identified gaps with remediation plans. Remediation plans create a framework for how your organization plans to address identified deficiencies.
Policies and procedures. Policies and procedures create a framework for how your organization will comply with the HIPAA Security, Privacy, and Breach Notification Rules. Policies and procedures also dictate the proper uses and disclosures of PHI. They must be customized for your organization and reviewed annually.
Employee training. Employee training is one of the most important aspects of HIPAA compliance. Without proper training, employees are unaware of their obligations to HIPAA. Training should include HIPAA basics, your organization’s policies and procedures, cybersecurity best practices, and the proper use of social media in the workplace.
Business associate management. As a healthcare organization, you likely have business associates that create, receive, transmit, store, or maintain PHI on your behalf. To ensure that your business associates are adhering to HIPAA requirements, you must vet them by sending them a vendor questionnaire, and have them sign a business associate agreement.
Incident response. Breaches affecting PHI must be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), affected patients, and for large-scale breaches, the media.
Compliancy Group also goes one step further, we address the full extent of the law and pair you with one of our expert Compliance Coaches to guide you every step of the way. That way, nothing’s left to chance. We guide you through implementing an effective HIPAA compliance program in your practice, educating you every step of the way.
Compliancy Group simplifies HIPAA compliance so you can get back to running your practice.
Join the growing number of healthcare professionals around the country who have made the switch from a tired old HIPAA compliance manual, to the industry-recognized choice for HIPAA compliance.
