The healthcare industry has become highly regulated since the introduction of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996. HIPAA has detailed requirements regarding the confidentiality and protection of patient’s data and has changed the way healthcare providers, insurance companies, life sciences, and other companies view and address health-related problems, security, and confidentiality.
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From a technological perspective, HIPAA covers a wide range of areas in the healthcare system, which includes websites, devices, medical imaging, and electronic health records (EHR). In this modern era, maintaining the privacy of personal information and the security of devices has become more challenging than ever. Cyber-attacks are a common occurrence and social media has resulted in the average person sharing more information without even being aware of it.
A various number of recent technology trends, including cloud computing, mobile devices, and the success of virtualization have created new challenges for the consumers as well as healthcare providers. Thus, the complex HIPAA law put into effect in 1996 keeps changing its rules and regulations to match today’s technological challenges. However, with the right kind of a HIPAA compliance software solution, companies are easily able to meet HIPAA requirements and improve their overall security and risk management.
The Right Use of HIPAA compliance software has its Advantages
The correct use of software and HIPAA compliance has its advantages. In healthcare facilities where such software has been implemented, healthcare organizations have reported an acceleration in the communications cycle, leading to higher productivity, workflows being streamlined, and improved patient experiences.
Let’s look at the benefits of implementing HIPAA compliance software:
Effective Training Management
Communication plays an important role when it comes to effective HIPAA training. Often it has been that HIPAA violations or non-compliant actions stem from lack of proper training and awareness, rather than nefarious intentions. Using HIPAA compliance software enables employers to easily communicate with their employees and deploy required training across the organization. Making the overall training process short, simple, and concise has proven to be more effective for retention as well as HIPAA compliance.
Reduce Paperwork and Save time
The software allows companies to significantly reduce unnecessary paperwork and save additional administrative work hours. HIPAA also requires lots of documents to be stored and maintained. Cloud-based software allows companies to easily store and retrieve documents when it is needed. Thus, overall compliance management becomes faster and efficient, while freeing up more time to focus on tasks which may also require attention.
Integration and cost-effectiveness
With the advancement of technology, it is easier to integrate any software with already implemented functioning systems within the organization. HIPAA compliance software also allows organizations to assess and evaluate risks within their facility, therefore, they can easily avoid preventable harms. Not to mention, HIPAA violations are extremely unfavorable and costly. The monetary value of fines and penalties can easily exceed the monetary cost of using a software-as-a-service. By reducing paperwork, administrative burdens, and valuable time organizations can become more cost-effective.
Simple user experience
Undeniably, user experience is of the utmost importance when organizations consider adding or changing new technologies or working methods. Easy to use software allows users to easily streamline workflow efficiently and access all relevant information from a single centralized space. Some software also enables users to customize themes and dashboards according to their preferences to create an amazing user experience.
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Looking for a HIPAA compliance software?
One of the most efficient ways to meet current requirements and guidelines is by using HIPAA compliance software. Look for software that is easy to use. When considering to use a HIPAA compliance software, functions to look for should include actions to take for remediation, the ability to perform internal audits, and comprehensive training management. If these satisfy your needs you can check out HIPAAReady – a robust HIPAA compliance software.
