For every healthcare organization, the HIPAA or Health Information Portability and Accountability Act has rules they need to comply with. Everything that deals with the patient’s electronic health data is under this act’s security rule, which is a collection of certain procedures including information technology standard.
Here are the five essential things regarding HIPAA security regulation that you should know:
- Encryption is helpful. Encryption ensures safety in any attempt of breach of security. It also ensures that you are not accountable for whatever electronic patient information are there on desktops, laptops, and any portable devices. For instance, in case an encrypted device containing electronic protected patient information or “ePHI” is lost or stolen, there is no need for the healthcare provider to report that incident. This is where a strong encryption password is needed to prevent unauthorized access.
- Risk assessment is required. This is important in order to understand clearly how the ePHI is safeguarded and to find out if additional security is necessary. The result of the assessment gives information about some disagreements with the ePHI to address the problem and provide solution.
- Written procedures and guidelines are compulsory. Written policies and procedures regarding ePHI protection must be maintained. Having documents alone could mean failure to conform to HIPAA requirements; all policies should be implemented by all employees within an organization.
- The need to train all employees regarding HIPAA Security Rule. The training is mandatory. All employees are frequently reminded about security rule after the training in order to be always aware of the effective ePHI protection.
- There should be a certain procedure for some incidents. As a means to meet the HIPAA requirements, all healthcare organizations must have a specific procedure in response to some particular incidents. A pre-planned procedure should be made to determine the steps they should adhere to in dealing with security breach incidents; and a special team should be formed to handle this.
A healthcare organization collects, stores, and uses the patients’ personal health information that is confidential. This is one reason why ensuring that these sensitive data are always protected is their main goal. It poses a great risk in cases of security breach where the patient’s confidential information is divulged. In addition, when a patient’s health information is disclosed, it can lead to major risks like losing his job, health insurance, or even his house.
It is best to always check the security of the organization’s sensitive data and ensure that all employees strictly follow the HIPAA Security requirements.
Author Bio: Rod, a freelance writer, focuses his research on various topics about Security HIPAA, and writes some articles about BYOD policy, HIPAA compliance email, and encoded text messaging.
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