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KnowledgeCity

HIPAA Rules, Safeguards, and Compliance

Learn how to stay compliant with HIPAA
Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 34 lessons.
Course: On-Demand
Essential Provider KnowledgeCity  3 chapters ·  34 Lessons ·  1h 44m  in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese 

Course Description

Personal data can reveal a lot about you, and it can easily be exploited through data breaches. This includes data related to your health. In 1996, the U.S. government passed legislation for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, primarily to address concerns related to the privacy and security of people’s health information. Before HIPAA, there were limited federal regulations governing the use and disclosure of health data. This left people exposed to potential privacy breaches and the misuse of sensitive information. The passage of HIPAA was a significant step toward improving patient privacy, enhancing the efficiency of health care transactions, and ensuring the security of electronic health information in the United States.

In this course on HIPAA Rules, Safeguards, and Compliance, you will learn what HIPAA is, why it’s significant, and how you and your organization can stay in compliance with its regulations. You’ll explore HIPAA rules, PHI and PII, how the law is enforced, and technical safeguards for your business. By the end of this course, you will have a greater understanding of this important regulation.

What You'll Learn

  • Understand the significance of HIPAA and why the 1996 legislation was passed to protect health information privacy and security
  • Define PHI (Protected Health Information) and PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and the types of information protected under HIPAA
  • Identify the technical safeguards required for HIPAA compliance, including access controls, audit controls, integrity, and authentication
  • Explain HIPAA rules such as the Privacy Rule, the Security Rule, and the Breach Notification Rule
  • Recognize who must comply with HIPAA, including the unique role of universities, and the rights granted to individuals
  • Describe administrative, physical, and technical safeguards along with penalties and enforcement

Key Takeaways

  • HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was passed by the U.S. government in 1996 to address concerns about the privacy and security of people's health information.
  • Before HIPAA, there were limited federal regulations governing the use and disclosure of health data, leaving people exposed to potential privacy breaches and misuse of sensitive information.
  • HIPAA was a significant step toward improving patient privacy, enhancing the efficiency of health care transactions, and ensuring the security of electronic health information in the United States.
  • The course covers HIPAA rules, PHI and PII, how the law is enforced, and technical safeguards for a business.
  • Technical safeguards under HIPAA are designed with flexibility, scalability, and technology neutrality, and include access controls, audit controls, integrity, and person and entity authentication.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I learn in this course?

You will learn what HIPAA is, why it is significant, and how you and your organization can stay in compliance with its regulations. The course explores HIPAA rules, PHI and PII, how the law is enforced, and technical safeguards for your business.

Who must comply with HIPAA?

The course covers who must comply with HIPAA, including a lesson on the unique role of universities in HIPAA compliance and the rights granted to individuals under HIPAA.

What are PHI and PII?

PHI and PII are types of information addressed in the course. You will learn to define PHI (Protected Health Information) and PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and explore the types of information protected under HIPAA.

What skills does this course help build?

This course supports skills in Compliance Auditing and Privacy Law.

What HIPAA rules and safeguards does the course cover?

The course covers the Privacy Rule, the Security Rule, and the Breach Notification Rule, along with administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, and penalties and enforcement.