By now, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) should be no mystery to anyone involved in the US medical system. However, in the 16 years that have passed since its enactment back in 1996, HIPAA has managed to keep some of its aspects elusive to the general public. Read below to find out four less known facts about Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act certification.
1. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act certification can generally be obtained by attending a training course and passing an exam with a certain grade and is a requirement for numerous jobs within the health care industry. However, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act certification offers a distinct advantage which not all medical professionals are aware of, but that could greatly benefit them. By attending a training course that caters to specific regulations within HIPAA, such as security, auditing, and administration, an individual can become a specialist who can conduct Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act training for other members of the health care system.
2. Specialists with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act certification are permitted to handle specific aspects of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in the health care organization they belong to. They can become compliance officers, security officers, they can run audits, controls, and various evaluations, or they can take up positions in administration, Human Resources departments, or management. The type of responsibility you can assume within your medical organization following the obtaining of the HIPAA certification depends on how specialized your training course was. So, if you are looking to advance your career, make sure you thoroughly analyze the various HIPAA certification options available.
3. According to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance is not mandatory only for medical professionals with direct access to patients and health information, such as doctors and nurses, but also for business associated of covered entities. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act certification is useful for pharmacy workers, auditors, interpreters used to ease communication between doctors and patients, medical laboratories, and even maintenance and cleaning staff that has access to rooms where patient information is stored. HITECH regulations apply quite drastic sanctions to any business associate that is negligent with protected health information.
4. Although HIPAA compliance is required by law, HIPAA certification is not, so do not confuse the meaning of the two words. All the necessary information on HIPAA can be found on the US Department of Health and Human Services website, completely for free. Nonetheless, formal training is the easiest way to raise Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act awareness and ensure compliance with employees. HIPAA certification titles, as well as types, vary according to the specific courses offered by one training company or another. The US Government does not impose certain regulations or standards for the format of the training course or of the HIPAA certification title, so you have to search and choose the one that best fits you.
These are some of the most important facts about Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act certification which are less known to the average medical professional. Make sure you keep all the information presented above in mind when searching for a training course for your HIPAA certification.
