What is HIPAA Seal of Compliance?
The HIPAA Seal of Compliance is the healthcare industry’s third-party HIPAA verification. There is no federal government or subsidiary regulatory agencies formal HIPAA compliance certification. That’s why health care professionals around the country rely on the HIPAA Seal of Compliance to demonstrate their good-faith effort toward achieving HIPAA compliance.
The HIPAA Seal of Compliance has become the industry standard for verification in the healthcare business. Federally required HIPAA requirements, as controlled by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are thoroughly addressed and incorporated into a successful, organization-wide compliance program.
Who needs to be HIPAA compliant?
HIPAA compliance is required for covered businesses and business partners (basically any business that handles PHI). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines covered entities as “health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers who transmit any PHI electronically in connection with a transaction for which HHS has adopted a standard.” A business associate is an outside contractor who assists a covered entity in carrying out its health care operations and duties.
The HIPAA Security Rule requires protections to be put in place to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI. These protections prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to your health information.
It also necessitates that individuals understand their privacy rights, including the opportunity to decide how their information is utilized. (This is why you sign the HIPAA agreement at your doctor's office.) The HIPAA Privacy Rule governs who has access to PHI, how it may be used, and to whom it can be shared.
HIPAA Force has all HIPAA Compliant Certificates and HIPAA Seal of Compliance verified by HIPAA Software.
