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Training Staff in HIPAA Regulations

Most breaches of protected health information (PHI) are related to human error, underscoring the need for medical practices to develop and maintain rigorous training programs for employees so they comply with HIPAA regulations.

However, when it comes to training, these organizations are not doing enough to educate and train their personnel. A $20 training video is not enough to keep individuals up to speed on the issues surrounding HIPAA regulations.

Here are a few ways that you can advance your training programs to ensure security breaches do not happen;

  1. Make it user friendly – By making the procedure of data security user friendly, it is less likely that short attention spans or lengthily steps will cause the user has a mishap. At other practices, individuals responsible for HIPAA training score tests and require staff to get a certain grade to “pass.” Another strategy is to provide personnel the answers to questions they miss before they move to the next question for positive reinforcement.
  2. Instructor lead courses – At staff meetings, someone can pick a HIPAA topic and discuss how to prevent breaches. Practices can put monthly reminders on a bulletin board. If time allows and it is affordable, organizations can sponsor an instructor-led course in which people can ask questions and interact. These classes can be held in person or via video conferencing.

Partner with AccuShred for the safe destruction of your data. AccuShred helps medical facilities maintain their HIPAA compliance by providing secure containers for the storage of PHI and then destroying that personal health information.

Nate Segall: