The Value of a HIPAA Certification

Certification is different from certified badges. When I say certification, I’m referring to a document that an employee receives for completing a training program. The HHS notes on their website that certification for healthcare workers is different from that for covered entities. A business can’t have a HIPAA compliance certification, but an individual employee that took the training can.
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The Office of Civil Rights doesn't offer official documentation for demonstrating adequate knowledge of the HIPAA laws and regulations. This is because HIPAA compliance is ongoing. One action or misstep can break compliance. Therefore, these certifications have no legal benefits but they do provide value in other ways.
Section § 164.530(b)(1) of HIPAA states that a covered entity must train all members of its workforce. Section b)(2 clarifies this a bit further, explaining that new employees need training within a reasonable period of time after the person joins. Now, “reasonable period of time” is very vague. This one statement can cause discrepancies during an audit of the covered entity since it’s up to the auditor’s interpretation of the law. You can help the auditing process through the use of certifications.
In this scenario, certificates show proof of compliance. Giving the auditor records of all the training sessions completed by each employee is important for this process. These records can also show how each employee performed in the training along with timestamps of when they completed it.
They also help instill confidence by giving a sense of accomplishment that leads to more certainty in day-to-day responsibilities. Why would that be important? Many HIPAA violations occur due to employee actions and their knowledge of HIPAA regulations. Out of 1,000 business owners, almost 50% of them said that human error was the reason for a breach that they experienced.
Common violations are usually preventable through proper knowledge and training. If employees know what behaviors can lead to a HIPAA violation, they are less likely to exhibit this behavior.
Therefore, training certificates related to specific behaviors in healthcare will help the organization. Additionally, certificates create value through continual improvement. Implementing annual training programs allows you to update your employees on any changes to the laws regarding PHI.
Like I said before, the laws protecting patients and their health records are subject to change. Since certificates usually have an expiration date, employees need to retake training as needed. This ensures that your organization conducts frequent periodic training.
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