It’s not that surprising that Health Care providers and hospitals/clinics are sometimes in violation of breaking HIPAA compliance. However, it is probably much more prevalent than people realize. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has been around for over a decade, first being enforced in 2004.
It’s not that surprising that Health Care providers and hospitals/clinics are sometimes in violation of breaking HIPAA compliance. However, it is probably much more prevalent than people realize. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has been around for over a decade, first being enforced in 2004. And although it is referenced often and is in general principle understood by most people, including patients and Health Care professionals alike, it still is a time consuming and sometimes difficult practice to adhere to.
The unsettling news is that, regardless of size and influence, most medical establishments are at some point in danger of violating HIPAA compliance. Luckily there are more ways available to the Health Care field in recent years to make such deviations less likely. Most have to do with the encryption of patient information, proper training for employees and an overall understanding of the laws involved.
There are some basic tools at your disposal when it comes to complying with these laws. It’s obvious that companies in the Health Care field want to avoid costly fines and lengthy lawsuits, so most are instigating these practices.
First of all, it’s important to have some workforce training. If the employees in your company are properly trained and HIPPA certified then it’s less likely your organization will be in violation. In addition it is extremely helpful to instigate annual refresher courses. This will help keep everyone up to date and mistakes in adherence will be less likely. It’s basically a way to reacquaint your staff with HIPAA guidelines.
As much as you as a Health Care professional plan ahead and study, in some cases, it is almost unavoidable that an issue will arise. Therefore it is good practice to have some sort of contingency plan to help deal with instances where a possible violation has occurred. You should have some sort incident response in place to deal with the possibility. Be ready to document and address the cause of these discrepancies, it’s an important process that will have you prepared for violations should they arise.
