HIPAA compliance training is an essential part of an effective compliance program. Annual employee training is mandated by HIPAA regulation. There are many misconceptions surrounding annual HIPAA training requirements that can leave your practice vulnerable to breaches and fines if they aren’t properly remedied!
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Your practice is faced with many options for HIPAA training on the market, but the challenge is finding a solution that’s truly effective in the eyes of the federal government. It’s important to keep in mind that a good HIPAA compliance program will address the full extent of the law–HIPAA training alone is not sufficient!
The first step toward implementing a HIPAA compliance training program in your practice is understanding your requirements for training under HIPAA. The regulation specifies national standards that must be addressed by all HIPAA-beholden healthcare professionals in regards to employee and workforce training.
Staff members must attend HIPAA training every year with documented attestation proving that they understand the content presented to them. That’s why group training isn’t always effective. Let’s say your organization holds your once annual HIPAA group training on a Monday. Then you hire a new staff member on Tuesday. With an annual HIPAA group training model, that new staff member wouldn’t receive HIPAA training for a whole year. In the eyes of a HIPAA auditor, that would be a violation of the law and a catalyst for HIPAA fines.
HR professionals and HIPAA compliance officers alike can use these simple guidelines to create an effective HIPAA compliance training program in their organizations. Always refer to official HIPAA regulatory language if you don’t have a HIPAA solution like Compliancy Group to help simplify the process.
What are HIPAA Compliance Training Requirements?
- HIPAA 101 Training: your workforce must receive annual training on HIPAA 101 to understand the basics of the law. This is the first step your compliance team or HR department should look into when formulating your HIPAA compliance training program. Compliancy Group’s free HIPAA training program will help you satisfy this requirement!
- HIPAA Policies and Procedures: in addition to HIPAA 101 training, employees are also required to read all organizational HIPAA policies and procedures. This counts as another important element of HIPAA that must be addressed in order to protect your practice. HIPAA requires your policies and procedures to be updated and reviewed every year, and your employees must be retrained as well. By training employees on HIPAA policies and procedures, you’re helping to foster a culture of compliance in your office. Raising awareness of HIPAA is one of the best ways for you to eliminate HIPAA violations in your practice and keep your patients’ data safe!
- Employee Attestation: after members of your workforce have gone through their training, HIPAA regulation requires that they legally attest that they’ve read and understood the materials presented to them. This attestation is essential to limiting liability in the event of a HIPAA violation or data breach caused by employee misconduct or a simple mistake. HIPAA requires that your organization document and retain these attestations for six years, along with the rest of your organization’s HIPAA compliance efforts.
Choosing a Compliance Solution for your HIPAA Training Requirements
Compliancy Group gives your organization a total HIPAA compliance solution that addresses the full extent of the federal regulation–including HIPAA 101 training, policies and procedures training, and documented employee attestation!
Compliancy Group’s cloud-based HIPAA compliance solution, The Guard, allows you to instantly track and monitor employee training. Find out which staff members need to be retrained year after year with The Guard’s simple user interface and live, guided support.
The Guard covers everything your practice needs to be HIPAA compliant, including employee training, security risk assessments, policies and procedures, and BA/vendor management.
