There are several different reasons why a HIPAA audit may be triggered. If your firm happens to fall under one of those reasons, you need to be prepared for what’s going to happen and how you’ll get through it. HIPAA has cracked down harder than ever before in recent years, with confidentiality becoming a larger issue in today’s technology-filled world. Even managed security service providers have had to change some of their procedures to ensure clients are remaining HIPAA compliant. Here are some things to remember to ensure your firm is ready for a potential HIPAA audit.
Get Your Documentation Ready
Compliance records must be kept neat and organized to present during a HIPAA audit. There’s no excuse for not having complete records. Your firm should have a designated staff member with the sole job of retaining and maintaining patient records in a safe place. You should also have a proactive IT management strategy to be able to retrieve these documents quickly and easily when asked for them. The more you show, illustrates that you have been diligent in keeping records, the better your HIPAA audit will be.
Have Your Personnel Prepared
Most of the personnel required for a HIPAA audit will include the owner of the company, the HIPAA compliance employee and likely the IT manager. Many managed security service providers have been through HIPAA audits before, so they will be able to help prepare your firm for an audit. However, it’s still important to have your in-house staff prepared for any questions that may come up during the audit to ensure everyone is on the same page about practices and policies.
Protecting Patient Information is the Main Objective
The main thing to remember before and during a HIPAA audit is a patient’s information is the most important consideration. Display in detail the steps you take on a daily basis to ensure your patient’s information is kept safe and secure. Mistakes can and do happen, but that’s where the help of IT security services come into play. A HIPAA auditor will ask a variety of questions, and as long as you answer with the patient’s best interest in mind, you should be prepared enough to survive the audit.
At Single Point of Contact, we take pride in the proactive IT management strategy we help many firms develop. Be sure to contact us for help in developing your strategy so you’re prepared for a potential HIPAA audit.
