Running a remote workforce has been trending since the COVID-19 Pandemic hit the world. Even though the lockdown has been lifted, organizations have not said goodbye to their remote workforce yet. Though remote working has brought ease to the modern world, it has also opened doors to potential cyber-attacks and data theft activities. In the healthcare sector, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) ensures the protection of patients’ private data.
Every clinic, insurance organization, and other business companions must follow HIPAA compliance. So if your organization provides healthcare services, evaluates health expenditures, or has access to protected health information, you must be HIPPA compliant. If your organization does not obey HIPAA guidelines, it can be penalized even if protected health information (PHI) is not exposed. At the same time, PHI breaching results in criminal accusations against your establishment.
This act entails establishments handing healthcare information to strictly safeguard protected health information (PHI) or e-PHI (electronically protected health information) and constantly examine their security protocols. So, here is your HIPAA compliance directory for remote workforces in 2022.
This checklist can be pretty helpful for the healthcare sector, and their business allies to better secure patients’ data in today’s digitalized era. To learn everything regarding the HIPAA compliance checklist, head over to: https://nordlayer.com/blog/hipaa-compliance-checklist/
What is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?
HIPAA is a US federal law passed under US Congress and consists of a set of general principles that ensure the protection of patients’ private data. It prevents the disclosure of the personal information of patients without their approval. The US Department of HHS (Health and Human Services) rendereda privacy rule further protected by a Security rule.
This milestone decree consists of the following points:
- The flexibility of insurance policy
- Confidentiality and security of healthcare data
- Prevention of prejudice and scams
Here is a quick guide to the HIPAA compliance checklist for remote employees in 2022:
Precise Confidentiality Approaches
When working from home, the risks for cyber-attacks become double. So, your organization must have particular strategies to guarantee the security and privacy of the digital parallel of protected health information, e-PHI. Such privacy protocols are valuable to reduce potential cyber-attacks and help to better deal with cyber threats.
Invest in A Privacy Policy
If you are a business companion or have a private organization dealing with healthcare information, you must establish a privacy policy. It will help your customers be satisfied that personal healthcare information is in safe hands and let them know how you execute this security. Since a privacy policy is a continuous process and repetitively goes under future updates and changes. So, make sure that your customers are continually reviewing privacy protocols.
Employ the Assistance of HIPPA Professionals
The services of a HIPAA professional are crucial for the remote workforce since they better know HIPAA compliance standards. So, they allow your company to stay updated about the latest conditions and standards in HIPAA compliance. Additionally, HIPAA specialists help you implement specific strategies in any personal data breach.
Continuous Verification
Health treatment information is among the most sensitive data types, so organizations should ensure security by providing strict privacy protocols. Therefore, organizations must impose security policies and continuously check on the potential cyber threats. Cloud computing devices are at more significant exposure to security threats in today’s digitized framework. So if organizations have any poor security points in their software workspace, they must handle it as early as possible.
Secure Devices of a Remote Workforce
In a remote workforce, the significance of encryption of healthcare information becomes double. So, the healthcare sector must establish specific privacy procedures to keep the data intact from potential attackers, particularly when they are sharing PHI. For this, organizations must encrypt the devices of their remote workforce. The encryption tactics help your association earn trust from your consumers, providing you a decisive edge in the industry.
Regularly Train Your Remote Workforce
To avoid tragic mistakes, the remote workforce must be adequately proficient and prepared regarding HIPPA. It is not essential that the remote workforce must be HIPPA professionals, but they must be aware of your company’s privacy agreements. They should keep reviewing your company’s obligations to the security of patients’ healthcare information and follow procedures under them. So, you should regularly test your remote workforce and provide the necessary training to avoid future inconveniences.
Establish Security Protocols for Business Allies
Many business owners collaborate with organizations dealing with healthcare information. So, such business associates are also HIPPA compliant. Therefore, while signing business agreements, you must discuss HIPAA with your business associates and sign protocols accordingly. No matter the collaborating level of your business allies, if they have access to the PHI of your clients, they are still subjected to HIPAA compliance.
A Stepwise Approach to Data Breaching
No matter how perfect an organization is, a system can still hit it with potential breaches. So under such circumstances, a stepwise procedure is the backbone of your organization. A compelling strategy from inquiring about breaches to taking practical actions after the breach alleviates the aftermath of such violations on your company’s status and your collaborations.
Importance of HIPAA Compliance for Remote Employees
Even though the violations of HIPAA compliance are not always due to the negligence of employees, healthcare professionals may still be subject to professional ramifications. They can lose their professional endorsement, so HIPAA compliance is crucial for employees in healthcare organizations. Additionally, HIPAA compliance allows professionals to have better business results. When patients or clients are satisfied that their personal data is secured, it builds trust and creates a more welcoming workspace environment.
Conclusion
Healthcare information is significantly more valuable than any other private data. The healthcare sector and its business allies must follow HIPAA guidelines and stay HIPPA compliant. In the remote workspace, organizations should reduce cyber-attacks by using end-point encryption and continuous verification to ensure only authorized remote employees can access the company’s cloud computing devices. Companies should regularly establish updated privacy policies and monitor their HIPAA compliance.