Is there a HIPAA certification that would be helpful to programmers?

Question

I work at a Medical Billing company that's software handles many facets of the centers practice, including patients, treatments, etc.

To be frank, the only thing I know about HIPAA is security is paramount.

I was wondering if there were any training courses with an earned certification proving knowledge/experience that I could use to increase my worth to the company, and give them a selling point (we have HIPAA certified employees).

I did a Google search and found this site, but it does not appear legitimate, and I'm trying to avoid any of those fake certification/degree sites.

Does anyone know of any recognized and legitimate (preferably government sponsored) HIPAA certifications useful to programmers? If state is a factor, I live in Oklahoma.

Answer 1

It's not a certification but it is the offical government source of information about HIPAA for IT: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/special/healthit/index.html

Answer 2

Check out (ISC)² -- I am not sure if they have anything directly for HIPAA or not. Give them a call though and I am sure they can provide you some good information.

Answer 3

When I was working with medical documents I took the time to review the HIPAA requirements myself and make sure that the project managers and directors above me knew any security concerns that we might have. I found HIPAA to be more of a guideline than a set of hard and fast rules. A lot of it involved taking enough precautions to reasonably justify your course of action in a court of law. For this reason I would leave any certification to the PHBs.

Answer 4

If you are going to be working in the medical field doing programming then having any type of medical certifications are going to be a huge boon to the company you work for (especially as a contractor--it gives them that warm and fuzzy feeling that you can be trusted), but I don't see it as a necessity, just being aware of the rules and regulations will be enough to keep you happily employed.

Check out this site from the HHS (Health and Human Services) department--they have a lot of information on medical record storage and the like.. I think you will find the bulk of your information here:

http://www1.cms.hhs.gov/home/regsguidance.asp

In addition to HIPPA though I would suggest that you do a lot of research on Sarbanes Oxley--this is a regulatory setup that was started after the big Enron scandal a few years back and deals a lot with data retention. Is great to know some of those answers when you get into highly volitile data storage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act

Lastly, since you work in medical billing--ask your supervisors for guidance and training. It shows your level of motivated, they may pay for it, AND they have the knowledge and experience to help you find the right type of training.

GL! And if you find more please let us know. Never know when we may need the same info!

Edit - Additional Information

Oklahoma Health Services HIPAA Site

http://www.ehow.com/about_5061174_hipaa-certification.html

Also, I am not sure which college or technical school is closest to you, but I would call around and ask about HIPAA certification courses. Any accredited university will be able to offer you the information you are looking for plus when you present the idea to your bosses it won't be some online training from Alaska (no offense Alaska!) but instead will be a local course that they can feel good about.

Answer 5

You can contact Edifecs for this HIPAA training and certification. They provide HIPAA testing and certification services. They offer consulting services for HIPAA 5010 migration and ICD 10. Visit their website for more details on educational services. http://www.edifecs.com/index.jsp

Answer 6

Hi...for HIPAA training and certifications I know one website offering various levels of HIPAA certifications like Certified HIPAA Privacy Associate (CHPA), Certified HIPAA Privacy Expert (CHPE), Certified HIPAA Security Expert (CHSE) and Certified HIPAA Privacy Security Expert (CHPSE). Depending upon your job role and requirement you can choose any of the certifications. To learn more visit http://www.onlinehipaatraining.net