The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced yesterday that its Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Enforcement Training tools would be available to the general public today, June 5, 2012.
Since 2009, as part of the Health Information Technology for Clinical and Economic Health (HITECH) Act, State Attorneys General (SAGs) were given the authority to bring civil suit for HIPAA violations on behalf of the aggrieved patients. To assist SAGs, the OCR developed a wide range of HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules compliance, enforcement, and training tools.
Included in the materials are computer-based modules, and videos and slides from in-person training sessions covering the following topics:
- General Introduction to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules
- Analysis of the impact of the HITECH Act on the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules
- Investigative techniques for identifying and prosecuting potential violations
- A review of HIPAA and State Law
- OCR’s role in enforcing the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules
- SAG roles and responsibilities under HIPAA and the HITECH Act
- Resources for SAG in pursuing alleged HIPAA violations
- HIPAA Enforcement Support and Results
These materials may be a helpful training tool for health care providers and privacy officers. The materials highlight to whom, what, where, when, and how HIPAA Rules will be enforced and provide basic summaries of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule requirements.
If you have questions regarding HIPAA training or need help creating and implementing a compliance plan, please contact an experienced health care attorney at Wachler & Associates at 248-544-0888.