Pro Tips for a Smooth HIPAA Audit in Healthcare

Thinking about the HIPAA audit may create a slight tension. Sometimes the thought leaves a fear about what and how the process will go. It doesn't matter how many audits you have faced, HIPAA audit can be really stressful and acute. If your healthcare practice is soon going to face a HIPAA audit, then you do not need to think that you are alone in this. 

Healthcare services providers who are anyhow dealing with patient health information are subjected to a HIPAA audit. Be it a major or small healthcare services provider or an independent healthcare provider. HIPAA audit is a result when OCR receives a complaint about HIPAA violation. This leads to HIPAA audit on the practice but what exactly is involved in a HIPAA audit? How can a medical practice avoid it with the best alternatives?

What impact does HIPAA audit have on healthcare practice?

Audits of any type, including HIPAA audits, may be time-consuming and expensive for any business both financially and reputationally. A HIPAA investigation and finding that the medical practice has broken the law might damage your standing in the community and cost you, clients. Additional legal action may result from a HIPAA breach.

A patient's protection and the multiple levels of HIPAA should be a major responsibility for any institution managing confidential patient information, which is why such repercussions are ominous. You may use our best advice for audit preparation at any time during the course of running any medical practice; you don't have to wait for an audit to take place to make sure you are in compliance with this crucial law. 

Pro tips to attain a smooth HIPAA audit

Do the research

The broad guidelines, including definitions of keywords, for companies subject to a HIPAA audit. Information systems, for instance, have a variety of components, including hardware, software, communications, personnel, data, applications, and more.

Keep HIPAA training compulsory for your employees

No matter how many staff members the medical practice has, HIPAA training must be a requirement for new hire orientation. Another good approach is to suggest or even mandate HIPAA-related refresher training. Knowledge helps in understanding, and if you or your employees don't understand the requirements of HIPAA, it will be difficult to make sure that your clinic is compliant.

Always be aware of where all documents are

Maintain an accurate control of the places where all of your electronic and paper personal health information is handled, exchanged, and preserved. Knowing where your papers are is crucial, whether they are on desktop computers, mobile devices, cabinets, or somewhere else.

Risk assessment plan can help

Avoiding an external audit should be among your operational plans; conducting frequent internal audits of your practice is an excellent first step in that direction! Making a risk assessment plan, which examines each element of your medical practice to see where there may be space for improvement and lays out an action plan in the case of a HIPAA violation, is a step in this process.

Collaborate with a reliable medical billing provider

The amiable professionals at VLMS Global Healthcare are HIPAA certified to preserve the PHI of your patients while improving your entire revenue cycle! We provide a variety of services to assist you to reclaim more resources and time in your day since your achievement is our victory.