Essentials of HIPAA Exams: 5 Points

Privacy and security of patients' confidential records is an important function in every health organization. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) lays down the guidelines and rules that ensure the confidentiality of patient medical records. All employees who deal closely with patients and their medical records must be aware of these laws and understand them properly so they can adhere to them in the best possible manner.

For this purpose, healthcare organizations, clearinghouses and even health insurance agencies provide HIPAA training to their employees. There are levels of trainings and an employee is supposed to successfully pass an exam to be certified. Based on your work profile you can choose your specific certification. Certified Security Compliance Specialist, Certified HIPAA Professional, and Certifies HIPAA Administrator are some of the certifications you can choose from.

There are certain employees in hospitals who deal with access, use, and storage of the medical records. These individuals need special training so that there is no scope for any violations of the HIPAA laws. They are trained about the various safeguards to be kept in place to protect the sensitive information. As more and more hospitals are converting to electronic storage, training is essential in order for employees to understand the electronic, physical, and technical safeguards.

Here are five essentials of HIPAA Exams.

• HIPAA exams will introduce you the basics of HIPAA laws starting with the technical and physical safeguards that must be put in place and followed in order to protect the sensitive medical information of patients. The privacy and security laws will also be covered in the training.

• If you want to specialize as a security compliance specialist, there is a special certification you can do for it. Here you will be trained in detail about the security guideline and regulations, including cyber or online security.

• A basic HIPAA certification will teach you basics of HIPAA rules and regulations that every healthcare employee should know regardless if he deals directly with patient medical records or not. This course will help you understand the situations when disclosure of information is legitimate and when it is not.

• Nowadays, HIPAA certifications can be taken online as well as in a classroom setting. Online training is more convenient owing to flexible hours and you can complete the course as per your schedule. An examination is conducted once you finish with the study material. On successfully passing the examination, you become a certified HIPAA administrator.

• Non compliance and violations are not taken lightly by HIPAA. Any such report will lead to heavy fines and even imprisonment depending on the extent of the violation. Therefore, training is important as employees become more aware of every step they take. A small mistake on your part can lead to loss of license for you as well as the health organization.

Healthcare organizations are on the lookout for individuals who are already certified. When they know you are aware of the HIPAA rules and regulation, they feel confident about you joining their team. They also save resources as they don't have to take care of getting your certification done after you join. There are refresher courses available so that you can keep yourself up to date about any modifications in the Act.