THE HITECH ACT
HIPAA TRAINING
Our short HIPAA training course, The HITECH Act (4.5 minutes), explains the changes made to HIPAA by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and the HIPAA Omnibus Rule, which implements the HITECH Act.
The video uses interesting visuals and several concrete scenarios and situations are discussed to bring the course material alive and keep trainees engaged.
Click here for a listing of all our privacy training courses
Understanding the HITECH Act: Enhancing HIPAA Training
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act is crucial in expanding and strengthening the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This training course provides an in-depth look at how the HITECH Act impacts HIPAA, focusing on its training resources, penalties, and the broader implications for healthcare privacy and security.
Overview of the HITECH Act
The HITECH Act, enacted in 2009, was designed to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology, particularly electronic health records (EHRs). It introduced significant changes to HIPAA, enhancing privacy and security protections for health information and increasing penalties for non-compliance.
Key Changes Introduced by the HITECH Act
- Expansion of HIPAA’s Scope: The HITECH Act extends HIPAA’s requirements to business associates of healthcare providers, health plans, and other HIPAA-covered entities. This means that the primary entities and their partners must comply with HIPAA regulations.
- Increased Penalties: The Act significantly raises the penalties for non-compliance with HIPAA. Penalties can now reach up to $1.5 million per violation, depending on the level of negligence. This underscores the importance of rigorous compliance and training programs.
- Breach Notification Requirements: The HITECH Act mandates that covered entities notify individuals of breaches of their unsecured protected health information (PHI). This requirement ensures transparency and accountability in handling health information.
- Promotion of EHRs: The Act incentivizes the adoption of EHRs through its Meaningful Use program, which encourages healthcare providers to use EHRs to improve patient care. This shift from paper to digital records has transformed how health information is managed and accessed.
HIPAA Training and the HITECH Act
Professor Daniel Solove’s HIPAA training course, “The HITECH Act,” is a concise yet comprehensive resource that explains these changes. The course uses engaging visuals and real-world scenarios to help trainees understand the implications of the HITECH Act on HIPAA compliance.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the Expanded Scope: Trainees will learn how the HITECH Act broadens HIPAA’s reach, affecting more entities and requiring stricter compliance measures.
- Familiarize with Increased Penalties: The course emphasizes the heightened penalties for mishandling PHI, highlighting the importance of compliance to avoid significant fines.
Importance of HIPAA Training
Effective HIPAA training is essential for healthcare providers and their business associates to understand and comply with the complex regulations. Training programs should cover:
- Privacy and Security Rules: Understanding the specific requirements of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules is crucial for protecting PHI.
- Breach Notification Procedures: Employees must be aware of the steps to take in the event of a data breach to ensure timely and appropriate notifications.
- Use of EHRs: Training should include guidance on using EHRs in compliance with HIPAA and HITECH standards, focusing on maintaining the privacy and security of electronic health information.
The HITECH Act significantly impacts HIPAA by expanding its scope, increasing penalties, and promoting the use of electronic health records. Comprehensive HIPAA training, such as Professor Solove’s, is vital for ensuring compliance and protecting patient information in the digital age. As healthcare continues to evolve, staying informed about these regulations is essential for all entities handling health information.
By understanding and implementing the provisions of the HITECH Act, healthcare providers can enhance their privacy and security practices, ultimately improving patient trust and care quality.
Click here for a listing of all our privacy training courses
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About TeachPrivacy and Our Training Philosophy
TeachPrivacy was founded by Professor Daniel J. Solove, the leading expert on privacy and data security law. He is deeply involved in the creation of all training programs because he believes that training works best when made by subject-matter experts and by people with extensive teaching experience.
According to Professor Solove: “Great training isn’t about slickness or tricks. It is about teaching. The goal is to make people understand, care, and remember. Great training is made with genuine passion – to make people love training, it must be made with love. Excellent substance is essential. The material must be explained clearly, understandably, and concretely. The content must be short and to the point – and it must be engaging. Slickness and gimmicks can’t compensate for lackluster substance.”
TeachPrivacy provides privacy awareness training, information security awareness training, phishing training, HIPAA training, FERPA training, PCI training, as well as training on many other privacy and security topics.
Professor Solove is a law professor at George Washington University Law School. He has taught privacy law every year since 2000, has published 10 books and more than 50 articles, including the leading textbook on information privacy law and a short guidebook on the subject. His LinkedIn blog has more than 1 million followers. Click here for more information about Professor Solove.