HIPAA & HITECH Part 4: Workforce Training

Part 4 of HIPAA and HITECH: Pathway to Compliance provides the basics for building workforce training programs with an emphasis on the individual employee's accountability for compliance. Part 4 is made up of three sections which can be used by the Covered Entity or Business Associate to build its workforce's understanding of its compliance requirements:

• Section 1: HIPAA/HITECH, What's it all about outlines the purpose of HIPAA's Administrative Simplification Provisions and provides definitions for general HIPAA/HITECH terms which have become a part of the healthcare lexicon for the administration of healthcare today. Compliance is best nurtured by knowing the history and intent of regulations which regulate workforce performance.

• Section 2: What the workforce needs to know equips the individual employee with basic definitions of key HIPAA/HITECH terms, such as PHI, Consent, Privacy Notice and Authorization, which are likely to be encountered in regular workforce functions. Compliance is best implemented by well-trained processes and a well-trained workforce.

• Section 3: HIPAA Compliant Workforce helps the individual employee appreciate the employee’s responsibility for compliance and the basic elements of a compliant workplace. This section encourages the employee to seek out the resources that should be available through a Covered Entity's or Business Associate's Compliance Plan and to make use of the resources when needed to guide workplace compliance. This Section also includes case studies, and questions to enhance the key learning points. A template for Verification at Workforce Training Program and Employer Feedback on the Elements of a HIPAA-compliant Workforce are available with this Part.