The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) came to fruition in 1996 and has undergone changes multiple times. HIPAA establishes numerous national standards to protect sensitive patient health information (PHI). Whether you’re a therapist or a general practitioner, as a healthcare provider, HIPAA plays an essential role in how your clinic operates. Here are some ways HIPAA affects your healthcare business.
Improved Patient and Clinic Relationship
HIPAA’s main purpose aims to protect patients and their personal health information. PHI includes sensitive identification information that can hinder the security and safety of patients if it lands in the wrong hands. Complying with HIPAA doesn’t just lead you to put certain safety standards in place; it also shows that you care about your patients. Through a built trust, patient and clinic relationships improve, increasing patient experience, retention rates, and other benefits on the business side of operating a health clinic.
Various Implementations of Security Protocols
Operating any healthcare practice involves numerous legalities and standards, especially since it involves people’s well-being. HIPAA consists of four major protocols and topics of concern: the Privacy Rule, covered entities, permitted uses and concerns, and the Security Rule. Each regulation comes with its own set of mandated procedures, affecting how your clinic operates. Failure to comply and implement the various standards leads to repercussions that, if breached, negatively affect your business. Understanding, following, and implementing the legal demands of a health clinic ensures that your healthcare practice operates safely, ethically, and legally.
Mandated HIPAA Compliance and Inspections
HIPAA compliance’s three major features include mandatory training, certification, and inspections. All three sequentially tie together. Training compliance covers the four major HIPAA rules, an overview of PHI, and other necessary topics linked to HIPAA and proper security standards. You must follow the mandated obligations, such as training, to obtain your HIPAA certification online (or in-person). After that, the next steps include a scheduled inspection that ensures your clinic properly implements the compliance procedures. Each process affects your healthcare business by requiring set conventions that influence starting, running, and continuing your service.
HIPAA plays an important role in the healthcare industry. It ensures the safety of your patients through the protection of their PHI and offers a range of benefits, from increased patient trust to ethical practices. HIPAA’s importance leads to many effects for various healthcare businesses, setting standards and conventions for successful and safe practices.
