HIPAA Training for Personnel
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Annual HIPAA Training Protects Your Agency From a $1.7 Million Fine
Insufficient HIPAA training has been cited by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights in multiple HIPAA breach investigations and resolution agreements. One resolution agreement was for $1.7 million with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
The Importance of Proper HIPAA Training
By not implementing a HIPAA training program, your company is at risk for a greater fine if there ever is an investigation. Fines are determined based on how you handle the breach and whether you were found negligent. Lack of training will likely place you in the negligent category, increasing your fines.
Your policies and procedures can only go so far in protecting client data and avoiding a penalty. Employees, however, have an almost limitless ability to make mistakes, take shortcuts, or let their curiosity get the better of them, resulting in a HIPAA violation.
Two kinds of training are necessary for a thorough program: one training for compliance officers and another for general employees. Compliance officers need to know about HIPAA, how to manage a compliant environment, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Whereas your employees need to know what they should do and not do to make sure they don’t expose you to a complaint or investigation, and what will happen if they violate your rules.
Finding a cost-effective training approach that yields strong results can prove challenging. Some agencies create their own program, dedicating an employee and months of work to the process. Others outsource to a generic training company that makes HIPAA more confusing.
GRA Benefits Group offers a program specific to insurance agencies. Our training module is explained in terms producers and customer service reps can understand. Monthly email reminders keep compliance in the forefront and relevant to daily tasks.
Contact us to learn more.