HIPAA has a broad set of training requirements and they are frequently a source of many inquiries as well as disarray. So, the root question that arises here is whom does it apply to? What topics must be covered as a part of training? Does the medical billing and coding team require HIPAA training? What number of staff requires training under HIPAA? How regularly should individuals be trained? How long will the training period be? If a doctor’s office is able to distinguish these points of contention, then your facility for sure will be HIPAA compliant.
Logically speaking HIPAA only provides answers to the above-mentioned queries. In certain ways, HIPAA gives a clear-cut direction than various laws about what type of training is required. However, it also leaves a lot open to interpretation. And to muddle matters, HIPAA’s Privacy Rule and HIPAA’s Security Rule both have separate training prerequisites. So, what sorts of organizations must provide HIPAA training?
HIPAA requires that both covered elements and business partners give HIPAA training to individuals from their workforce who handles PHI. This means that even small-time physicians need to prepare their faculty on HIPAA. Physicians need to be trained, as well as nurses. Business partners and any of their subcontractors — must have the training and the know-how regarding HIPAA. And last but not least the accounting staff that looks into medical billing and coding should be the first members to understand the HIPAA logistics. If they are unsure about the fundamentals, the chances of not getting adequately reimbursed will stand to be a grave issue.
What points must Privacy Training Cover?
The HIPAA Privacy Rule states that the training must be “as fundamental and proper for the individuals from the workforce to complete their functions.” HIPAA along these lines doesn’t require that everybody be trained similarly. The Privacy Rule further doesn’t provide clear guidance on the particular points that ought to be canvassed in the training.
Numerous staffers at the doctor’s facility may have functions with limited involvement with patients or PHI. In the event that a representative is not included in giving notification to patients or in furnishing patients with access to their records, they needn’t bother with preparing these themes.
While acting as business associates, employees will once in a while be included in managing patient rights (which are commonly done by covered entities). Their training doesn’t require elaborating points that aren’t applicable to their job requirements.
It Goes Beyond the Conventional Guidelines
Many a times, the training is so centered on saying the correct things that it neglects to motivate employees to do the correct things. In many training programs, there is a fixation on ensuring that each possibly important point is said. Because something is said doesn’t mean it is learned.
- Training must be understood. Information is useless unless individuals comprehend it.
- Training must be remembered. If individuals don’t recall the training, then what’s the point?
- Training must be followed and not just grasped.
What Documentation must be done with HIPAA Training?
It is vital that all the training one gets regarding HIPAA must be documented or else it will be like doing homework and neglecting to turn it in. Just as medical billing coding requires the staff to be certified, HIPAA requires that training be documented. In the case of an OCR analysis or audit, it is best to produce the content of the training as often as possible. You ought to likewise monitor who finished it effectively and the successful completion entailed.
