The 3 Different Types of HIPAA Exams and Certifications

To achieve complete compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), many professionals…

To achieve complete compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), many professionals are turning to HIPAA exams to strengthen their knowledge. The act itself requires that all employees with access to personal health information be trained in some way about the privacy rules and compliance. This can be done with an in house training system or an organization can employ outside methods. A popular training method is to enroll employees in HIPAA exams online. The online HIPAA exams offer more flexibility than other training programs and typically cost much less.
If you are taking a HIPAA exam to gain certification, there are three kinds of HIPAA certification to choose from. Each is relevant to a different type of employee and their particular access to patient personal Non Clinical Medical Careers information. Those three types are Certified HIPAA Administrator Exam, Certified HIPAA Professional Exam, and Certified Security Compliance Specialist Exam and their explanations are outlined below.
1) CHA- Certified HIPAA Administrator Exam. The training program and HIPAA exam focuses on the end users in a healthcare system. There are the professionals that have direct contact with patients like doctors, nurses, receptionists, etc. Main focus is on the confidentiality rule including verbal and written patient confidentiality rules. Also a heavy focus on how HIPAA affects patients directly as these healthcare professionals must know how to explain patients’ rights to them.
2) CHP- Certified HIPAA Professional Exam. The CHP exam focuses on the broader scope of other covered entities affected by HIPAA. This would include hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, medical clearinghouses, medical bill payers, and any other organization that has access to personal health information of patients or insurance policy holders. Focuses on policies that need to be in place to obtain complete HIPAA compliance. Also a great course for hospital administrative executives. Information technology employees could also benefit from taking a CHP exam.
3) CSCS- Certified Security Compliance Specialist Exam. The CSCS is geared toward information technology and information security employees. It will cover what technological and security measures need to be taken to protect personal health information and medical records within an organization. Not only will it cover the technology and security aspects of HIPAA, it will also cover policies that should be in place to ensure all security measures are as effective as possible. Security and technology measures will fail without the proper compliance policies in place like access to security clearance parts of a building or password access to certain information within a computer network.
Because HIPAA is so complex and so far reaching, even though some certifications may apply more directly to some job roles, it is a good idea for anyone in a managerial or administrative function to become certified in all aspects. This will help them to Health And Nutrition Articles direct policy and procedures regarding HIPAA more effective. At the very least, each employee within a covered entity should be required to take and pass a HIPAA exam. Employing people who do not understand HIPAA compliance can be dangerous and costly.