A recent American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) meeting discussed the growing number of citations and sanctions against nurses for their Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations while providing care. Discussions also included topics on the breach of patients’ “individually identifiable health information” and non-compliance with the requirements for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information. The issues are alarming for healthcare organizations, because these violations could trigger legal and financial sanctions to the organizations.
These violations expose individual healthcare workers and put the institutions they work for-whether clinical practice or nursing education programs at risk. Nurses at the point of care, nurse educators, and even nursing students are included in this risk. Though most healthcare organizations and educational institutions provide yearly HIPAA training, sanctioning is still on the rise. This raises questions about the adequacy of the training provided and whether institutions are assessed for potential risks for HIPAA violations.
Established in 1996, HIPAA was designed to boost the efficiency of the healthcare system while using safeguards to secure patients’ privacy and personal health data. Important components of the Act focus on privacy protection, securing health information, and enforcing the HIPAA rules. However, violations of the privacy and security rules continue to increase. Are the present institutional training programs and security systems not enough? What describes an effective HIPAA training program, and how can it be applied effectively in both clinical practice and educational settings?
Recent data shows a rise in HIPAA sanctions involving nurses and the institutions that employ them. A 2023 survey showed gaps in HIPAA compliance training throughout the healthcare sector. According to the survey, 24% of companies offer HIPAA training yearly, and less than 3% offer training only during worker onboarding. These findings show that the insufficiency of consistent support of HIPAA regulations possibly leads to elevated violations among healthcare workers.
More nurses are being reported for HIPAA violations, which is a concerning issue that may be a result of inadequate education and training, either during their academic preparation or their professional training. Understanding HIPAA regulations to secure patient privacy is very important, yet many nursing programs do not provide complete training on the subject. As a result, the risks of data breaches and violations are higher which could lead to legal and financial issues for both individual healthcare professionals and their companies.
Healthcare institutions should review their monitoring and enforcement systems for HIPAA compliance. This entails ensuring employees understand the risks and penalties connected with violations and offering regular, updated training that tackles emerging threats and advancements in technology. By making HIPAA compliance an ongoing priority rather than a once-a-year training session, healthcare organizations can lessen the risk of violations and enhance patient privacy protection.