Step-by-step approach to HIPAA compliance

There are more than 50 policies that medical practices may have to implement to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), so it’s no wonder meeting these requirements may appear overwhelming, especially for smaller practices with limited time and resources. The good news is that compliance might not be as difficult as it first appears.

Complying with HIPAA is not a one-time event. By taking a deliberate and forward-thinking approach, medical practices can ensure they continually meet the various requirements, and more importantly, keep patient data private and secure.

 

Understand the scope

A practice should first get a handle on what the requirements entail. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ health information privacy website offers an overview, but organizations can quickly become swamped with too much information if they don’t know what to look for and what questions to ask. Therefore, it can be helpful to obtain guidance from professional associations or third-party vendors to learn which rules apply and when.

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