HIPAA Training: "We have met the enemy and he is us"

“We have met the enemy and he is us”

Walt Kelly, the creator of the comic strip, Pogo, published this line on April 22, 1970 in commemoration of Earth Day but it is applicable to the current situation in healthcare today. A recent Ponemon Institute study confirmed that human error is the leading cause of healthcare data breaches. (The Ponemon Institute’s fourth annual Patient Privacy & Data Study)

One of the basic requirements of HIPAA is periodic training of staff and yet it is frequently cited as a contributor to the many breaches of PHI data. Documentation of training is a crucial element in preventing large HIPAA fines in the event of a breach. Training helps prevent breaches and documentation of training helps protect your company in the event of a breach. So why is training so frequently overlooked?

Developing an internal training program which includes documentation is a complex and expensive project requiring personnel with training and experience in setting up these programs. Outsourcing HIPAA training makes sense for most organizations. The Internet and the SaaS (Software as a Service) model make HIPAA training cost effective and efficient.

Here is how the HIPAAssure® model works:

•The Care maintenance model delivers monthly tasks lists of required HIPAA activities

•Periodically the task “Staff Training” appears

•The task is linked to policies, procedures, and forms necessary to do training internally

•The task will soon provide a link to allow outsourcing HIPAA training

•As a staff member completes training they are tested and their scores recorded

•Completion of the task is recorded and stored in the History tab.

For more information contact jack@compliancehelper.com