Category: Healthcare

By Greg Garner

HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was put forward by the United States Congress as a federal law in 1996. HIPAA’s main goal was the protection and safety of patient information handled by doctors and other healthcare professionals. Apart from this HIPAA also deals with other areas in health care like health insurance, pharmacies, and medical transcriptionists that deal with patient information on a regular basis.

By 2003, all healthcare providers were required to be HIPAA compliant. The HIPAA law mandates all these healthcare providers or covered entities to ensure that all their employees are HIPAA certified. Some organizations provide the training for their employees while others require you to complete the training on your own. In the latter case, there are a number of web-based HIPAA certification courses available for your benefit.

Three main reasons why you should get an online HIPAA certification are as follows.

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Once you’ve decided to get HIPAA accreditation online, you must first find a registered course offered by an online company of good reputation. A quick web search will allow you to find one. One main reason why online training is beneficial to you is that you can take it in your own home and at your own time. There is no particular time limit to complete the different topics so you can do it leisurely, although the topics will not take you more than a few hours to complete. If you study or work full-time online training is your best option. You don’t have the issue of taking time off work and fitting in this course between shifts. The internet provides you with a virtual classroom experience. You can take as much time you want to review and complete the certification course.

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The online HIPAA accreditation courses are all-inclusive courses just the same as classroom-based training. The major topics covered in the sessions are HIPAA basics, Administration Simplification and Accountability, Insurance Reform, Privacy and Security Rules, and Standards for Electronic Transactions. The online course provides you with both basic and well as advanced course material. In includes detailed explanations using real life examples and case-studies. In addition the topics also include the organizations and professions affected by HIPAA and the results and penalties of non-cooperation.

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You may think that the online HIPAA course may require you to download specific software on your system. That is not the case. What you do need is a good internet connection and you’ll be fine. Once you have completed the courses you can even print the certificate for yourself if you are in a hurry and can’t wait for the company to send it to you. The best thing is that web-based courses leave you with resource guides like sample papers and FAQs that you can use in the future to learn your way through the HIPAA guidelines.

As you know, HIPAA certification is very important whether you’re thinking of a profession in healthcare or whether you are already a doctor, nurse, billing agent and the like. There is no better way that to get your training online at your own time and place.

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Submitted by: Greg Garner

You must be already aware how the blood can carry various dangerous diseases which can potentially pass on to another person when coming in contact with the skin. In addition there are several other bodily fluids too that can carry such infection. But it is not always possible to know if the patient has an infection or if the fluids are mixed with blood, thus taking certain precautions at all times becomes a must. Universal precautions require all health care staff to wear a host of protective gear to avoid getting infected.

Following are 4 areas within a health care facility where universal precautions must be applied.

Laboratory Safety: A medical laboratory contains an array of equipments and dangerous chemicals, add to this hundreds of blood and tissue samples, many of which may be infected. Considering the possible risks in such a set up the laboratory staff must wear gloves, coats and goggles at all times. Face shields or other gear must be worn depending on the level of hazard. Use of appropriate footwear and foot covers may also be recommended to avoid injury from broken glass which may be contaminated by the fluids. Using such personal equipment not only prevents any contact with the skin but is also useful against chemical spills and fumes.

Handling Linen: Linen in a hospital can be a hotbed for infection and must be handled with due care. The concerned staff must always wear gloves and face masks for safety. The used linen must be immediately put in specially designated bags and any linen that has traces of fluid must be carefully rolled in a way that the stains are on the inside. Also ensure minimal movement or shaking of such linen to avoid the spread of dangerous organisms. Furthermore make sure that you change your gloves between handling soiled and clean linen to prevent contamination of the latter.

Housekeeping: Housekeeping acquires a different meaning in a health care facility where the cleaning is not limited to removing dust and debris like in a home or office, but also for decontaminating various surfaces that can have disease-causing micro-organisms. When cleaning the floors and furniture surfaces with suitable detergents and disinfectants, the housekeeping staff must put on suitable gear like gloves, masks and aprons. Additional care must be taken in high risk areas and cleaning must be done in a sedate manner without any agitating actions as it can increase the possibility of spreading infection.

Managing Fluids: The entire basis of universal precautions revolves around safety from body fluids and utmost caution is required in event of any spills. First make sure that you have a pair of gloves on that are not damaged in any way. Then use a sufficient number of paper towels to soak up the fluids followed by applying the appropriate disinfectant. The towels and gloves must be immediately discarded in properly marked bags. Also remember to wash your hands thoroughly.

Remember that following universal precautions even when not in direct contact with a patient is equally important when working in any part of a health care facility.

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