Administrators and staff who work in residential care facilities are charged with the responsibility of maintaining the healthcare records of the residents who reside in the facility. HIPAA rules are usually associated with healthcare facilities such as hospitals and physician practices. A Google search of HIPAA shows little to no information on how HIPAA applies to nonmedical entities such as community care facilities. This course will provide an overview of what HIPAA is and your responsibility in protecting the healthcare information of residents under your charge. During this course we will provide an overview of the HIPAA privacy rules as they apply to assisted living and residential care, including identifying when a provider would be considered a "covered entity."

Objectives:

Gain knowledge of the purpose of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule

Identify the ways in which HIPAA applies to healthcare providers and administrators of residential care homes

Review basic HIPAA definitions

Apply HIPAA basics in the practice setting

Understand exactly what a privacy breach is and how to implement policies of prevention

Gain knowledge of how social media sharing, messaging, and internet usage can violate HIPAA rules