Human Resources Department Hipaa Compliance: Fill & Download for Free

HIPAA is enforced and directed by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) in their Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Neither one recognizes any HIPAA certification from a third party nor do they offer one.HIPAA is not a checklist either. You have a lot to learn from where you are at now.Our podcast isn't for beginners but there are lots of resources for you on our site. Home - Help Me With HIPAA podcast

“Maybe people should be educated that there is NO disease or medical condition that should be considered embarrassing.”In an totally ideal world, I would be inclined to agree. But that doesn’t change the fact that certain conditions do carry stigmas. Picture this situation:You’re applying for a job. Your resume is stellar, your interview goes without a hitch, but now your prospective employer needs to do its due diligence. Human resources does a background check, and the investigator somehow gets into your medical records and finds out you have been treated for ADHD and take Adderall daily.You don’t get the job.Doctors, hospitals, and health insurers are all mindful of the sensitivity of personal health information. So is the federal government, which passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which, among other things, ensures a high level of privacy protection for patients. After all, this is more than just records of how many times you caught a cold or needed stitches. This is information that, if it gets into the wrong hands, can seriously f**k up your life.I work in the IT department for the largest health insurer in my state. Our employees have to undergo annual refresher training on privacy, security, and HIPAA compliance, so I’m reminded of the importance of keeping protected health information (PHI) private and secure. Not only do I touch PHI daily, my position involves reading and troubleshooting electronic transactions, which means that I swim in an ocean of it. And so do a whole lot of other people here.What may be common knowledge and open for you may be the most secret aspect of someone else’s life, which if exposed may expose them to ridicule, public humiliation, and other consequences. We in the entire medical industry have been entrusted with a lot of people’s secrets, and because of HIPAA we have to jealously guard them.

It depends on the state of jurisdiction. Employment is a state matter generally. There are some requirements under OSHA that employers keep medical information confidential, but it depends on who needs the information. And, it also depends on the employer.Many human resource department are a mess. While employers violate employee privacy daily, correction actions are typically reactive, not proactive. So, you can't expect an absolute protection of your information, medical or not.HIPAA protects unauthorized disclosures, but not after you give it to an employer generally — it depends. That's the problem with a disclosure, it can be redisclosed, and you hope the the redisclosure is sound and compliant, but it's not always.To the question — there's not enough here to answer the question fully. But, there should be state law protections of your data. There are also a few exceptions were employers can disclose per ADA:To prove their compliance to government officials.First aid.Supervisors and managers on a need to know basis in connection with the accommodation.