Everything There Is to Know About HIPAA Compliance
By now, most healthcare providers are well aware of HIPAA and how it impacts them. Under the Privacy Rule, a wide range of individuals, including employees, patients, and public members, have the right to use and disclose their protected health information (PHI). With these rights comes considerable responsibilities for business owners who handle that PHI.
What Is HIPAA Compliance?
Covered companies must follow the HIPAA Privacy Rule and all associated security standards. This includes creating and maintaining a system that is compliant and assessing their current operation to optimize their system and achieve the best possible level of protection.
Implementing HIPAA compliance aims to protect the PHI of patients and individuals whose information is being handled by a covered entity. This executes data loss prevention from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure while enabling authorized users to perform their duties efficiently. It also helps ensure that other issues are not created due to handling the PHI.
HIPAA Compliance: Everything You Should Know
Despite the wide range of covered entities and their offerings, it is possible to implement HIPAA compliance for every entity. There are specific steps that any covered entity can take to achieve a HIPAA compliant system with the most security and protection possible.
Online Bookkeeping Tools
Many practices are under the impression they do not need to create an online bookkeeping system or have it managed by a third party. This is incorrect as the level of security required to handle PHI is very specific and cannot be controlled remotely.
This is why bookkeeping tools are crucial. They help provide a clear overview of office financials and allow for automating certain aspects such as journal entries and payments.
Other features may include traditional accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory management, and client billing. They also provide employee timekeeping, appointment management, workflow management, and other features.
Information Security
As mentioned above, it is essential to ensure that all aspects of the system are fully secured and compliant with HIPAA regulations. This includes everything from the security of the physical environment to the software used and all network components, including firewalls and routers. The more secure the environment and the more compliant it is, the more likely any covered entity to achieve HIPAA compliance.
Safeguard Protected Health Information (PHI)
Achieving HIPAA compliance requires safeguarding PHI at all times. This means that no PHI can be left unattended and uncovered or in an area where it could potentially be exposed. While entities must keep hard copies in a locked filing cabinet, electronic documents should be password protected.
Blockchain technology provides the highest level of security anyone can ask for. It is a record system and provides a highly secure and safeguarded storage option that meets HIPAA standards. The only way someone could access your protected health information would be if you permitted them or if they had the knowledge to hack into it.
Data Management
Covered entities may do this in various ways, one of which is to create a system for organizing and storing PHI in a manner that makes information simple for authorized users to discover but very difficult for unauthorized users to access.
Some software can provide this ability. It includes a system for searching for and retrieving the PHI of any individual when needed by authorized users. This protects the privacy and security of patient information while also allowing authorized personnel to locate what they need when they need it.
Breach Reporting
If PHI is exposed through hacking or other means, having a breach reporting system in place will enable you to report it in the appropriate channels. This will ensure you adhere to your obligations under HIPAA compliance. This is especially important because the amount of PHI involved in a breach will determine the level of investigation that occurs.
As covered entities and those who handle PHI, it is crucial to ensure HIPAA compliance. If a breach occurs, being able to notify it early may save a lot of money by preventing additional harm and allowing for a faster resolution.
Conclusion
HIPAA compliance requires a large amount of work on covered entities. This may seem overwhelming, but as long as you are dedicated to the creation and follow the steps needed to achieve it, you will successfully get your organization compliant.
To create a HIPAA-compliant practice, one must first realize the level of risk when handling PHI. Understanding these risks is an essential part. It will help you decide what kind of security you need to be implementing to minimize your risk and therefore reduce your chances of being involved in a breach.