Introduction
Organizations are audited by the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights to check if they are following HIPPA. The OCR selects auditors at any time.
Description
What does HIPPA stand for? It is an abbreviation for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is basically a federal law that was given out in 1996 to achieve incremental healthcare reform. The aim of this regulation is to transform the insurance and healthcare sectors by implementing various ways.
For example, HIPPA targets making the administrative process easier, cutting down expenses and paperwork, and enhancing the privacy of the patient’s information.
Requirements for HIPPA Audit:
Six steps need to be followed to become a HIPPA Compliance Auditor. They are explained below.
HIPPA training for employees
This is a crucial component in the HIPPA Compliance requirements. Employees can tend to have a failed audit if they have not been given training or if they do not have experience with the regulations of compliance.
It is important that you must record or document your training in order to show the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) that you are capable and devoted to the instructions for employees.
The policies which give the highest priority to education and training should be formed and published as well. It is necessary to make sure that your team is completely trained in front of the OCR in the audit as tough questions regarding the HIPPA Compliance rules will be asked.
Form a risk management plan to conduct the risk analysis
These elements are needed as well. It is the job of HIPPA risk analysis to search for any security risks within the company.
Thus, these potential risks are brought to light by the courtesy of the risk management plan. Security documents should be created while going through the risk assessment. The reports revealed
by the compliance rules should be written, published on paper, and stored in an accessible area. The rules should be flexible enough to cover all domains of the business, not just a single aspect. For instance, the policies consisting of security rules and HIPPA privacy need to be brought on paper.
Similarly, documents that include breach notification, physical security, incident response, and IT along with firewalls should be in the spotlight as well.
The advantage of including these documents is that a clear direction is provided which can be followed in the operation and it aids in the audit procedure.
Choose a privacy officer and a security assessment
Each business and entity needs to have these two things as directed by the HIPPA. It is not necessary to hire someone new.
A responsible person who knows how to manage PHI should be enough. Efforts should be properly showcased in meeting the rules.
The business associate agreements have to be reviewed. The officer is also assigned with planning a review of the security policies and conducting a risk analysis on the data security and IT system. In case of any incident or breach, it should be informed as well.
Have an internal audit
This is an effective way to search for any errors prior to the OCR audit. If a habit or routine is formed by conducting an internal audit, all kinds of problems will be brought to light before they become worse.
The team should be alert at all times and no pressure should be taken in the review.
In doing this step in the perfect way, it is advised to join hands with an organization that is efficient in data security and compliance. This organization will look into the details of the risk management plan and risk analysis which might go unnoticed by your eyes.
Moreover, a proper review of compliance standards and security is done by the organization which aids a lot. This way, the issues which you might not recognize in the internal risk assessment are highlighted.
Conclusion
In getting compliance with the HIPPA, risk analysis is the foremost and the most important. The rules of compliance are crucial to meet all regulations.
Going a step further is essential for HIPPA Compliance. In order to review the IT infrastructure, it is important to work with a HIPPA security Compliance expert.
Figuring out the problems on your own and conducting a risk analysis prior to the audit has its own benefits. Before the OCR progresses to the next step of the HIPPA audits, it is necessary to be mentally prepared beforehand. The business and private medical information of the patients should be protected.
