If you own or operate a business that is related to the healthcare industry, you need to make sure that all of your I’s are dotted and your T’s are crossed for so many things, including HIPPA.
HIPPA ensures the privacy and benefits of your patients, regarding their medical records and personal health, are protected. This federal regulation can be a bit confusing, especially if it something new to you. To ensure your business is HIPPA compliant, we have put together this little guide, which highlights the most important factors related to HIPPA compliance software.
What is HIPPA?
First things first; you need to know what HIPPA stands for.
An acronym for the Health Information Portability and Protection Act of 1996, HIPPA is a Privacy Rule that protects personal health information and medical records.
The goal of HIPPA is to ensure that the proper safeguards are set up to secure the privacy of personal health information.
What does HIPP Protect?
HIPPA protects personal medical information of patients, including:
- Their date of birth
- Their full name
- Their diagnoses
- Their medical record number
What Happens if You’re Not Compliant…
If you are found to be in violation of HIPPA, you will be looking at costly penalties. The penalties that are associated with noncompliance vary and are determined by the degree to which you were found negligent.
Monetary fees can range from around $100 to upwards of $50,000 per violation. Additionally, there is also the risk of criminal charges that can result in jail time if you are found guilty of noncompliance. These reasons alone should have you searching for a HIPAA compliance checklist.
Ensuring Compliance
How can you make sure that, as a business owner, you are compliant with HIPPA? Make sure you employ the following tactics to protect your employees, your patients and yourself. Risk assessment software might be worthwhile as well to determine your company’s needs.
- Keep healthcare information secured. Make sure that any and all personal healthcare information that you collect is secured. Storing the information in a secure, cloud-based platform will ensure the information is protected.
- Offer training. Make sure you provide your employees with HIPPA compliance training. This includes anyone who is privy to healthcare information, such as individuals who are responsible for collecting it. Make sure that you offer annual training courses to ensure everyone is current and up-to-date on your HIPPA compliance methods.
- Investigate your vendors. If you do business with anyone who collects or uses healthcare information in any way, make sure you conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that they are HIPPA compliant. If they aren’t, they could end up causing a data breach that could cost you a tremendous amount of money, the loss of your business, and possibly time in jail.
The bottom line is this: HIPPA compliance is not an option. If you aren’t compliant with HIPPA, you could be looking at serious ramifications. Don’t put your patients, your employees or yourself at risk; take the steps to find out what you can do to ensure that you are in compliance with this Privacy Rule, and always remain diligent to ensure that you always remain compliant.