HIPAA Training

HIPAA Training Course Objective:

Given a situation involving the protection or security of personal health information, learners will be able to recognize Protected Health Information (PHI) and take appropriate steps to safeguard it, in compliance with HIPAA regulations.

HIPAA Training Lesson Objectives:

• Describe the purpose & key components of the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Recognize Protected Health Information (PHI) and Electronic Protected Health Information (EPHI).
• Describe covered entities, HIPPA compliance and potential consequences of non-compliance.
• Use and disclose PHI/EPHI appropriately, in compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
• Protect PHI/EPHI appropriately, in compliance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, protects the privacy and security of personal health information. HIPAA gives patients the right to access their own health records, and to determine how this information is shared with others. Healthcare providers and other organizations that handle health information must have policies, procedures and protections in place to ensure compliance with the HIPAA regulations. If you are a business associate, employee, or volunteer for such an organization, you are responsible for understanding the HIPAA regulations, and taking steps to ensure that any health information you come in contact with remains private and secure.

In this course, you’ll learn about the purpose and key components of HIPAA, the types of health information that it protects, how and when you can disclose this information, and precautions you should take to protect it.

What is HIPAA?

When they hear the term HIPAA, many people think of the form they fill out in their Doctor’s office summarizing their rights related to their personal health information. Protecting the privacy and security of health information is indeed a key aspect of the regulations, and is the focus of this course. However, the regulations go beyond privacy and security. They include provisions to allow people to change jobs without fear of losing insurance coverage, and establish guidelines and standards to foster efficient electronic exchange of health care data. This module provides an overview of HIPAA to help you understand how privacy and security fit within the broader regulations.

What is PHI/EPHI?

Personal health information comes in a variety of forms – verbal, written and electronic. In order to effectively protect this information, you must be able to recognize it when you see it. This module defines personal health information and explains the types of information that are protected under HIPAA.

Compliance and Consequences

HIPAA provides detailed guidelines regarding the types of organizations that must comply with the regulations, and how they must do so. These “covered entities” – and their employees and business associates – may incur civil and criminal penalties for violating its provisions. This module explains who is responsible for complying with HIPAA, the safeguards they must establish to protect personal health information, and the consequences they may experience if they fail to do so.

Using and Disclosing PHI

Healthcare providers and others who handle health-related information on the job encounter a variety of situations in which they must make decisions about how they may use, and when they may share, this information. Some of these decisions are straight-forward; others are more complicated. In this module, you’ll learn about individuals’ rights regarding their own health information, and how and when HIPAA allows you to share this information with others.

Protecting PHI

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is true when it comes to maintaining our health; it’s equally true when it comes to protecting the privacy of our health information. In this module, you’ll learn about specific precautions you can take, and safeguards you should put in place, to ensure that any health information you come in contact with remains private and secure.