Federal HIPAA Law Compliance for Health Care Professionals
Target Audience: Pharmacist, Pharmacy Tech
Course Overview
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the federal law that protects sensitive patient health information from disclosure without the patient's consent. Another purpose of this legislation is to improve the portability and accountability of health insurance coverage for employees between jobs and to reduce fraud and misuse in healthcare. Electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic medical devices are vulnerable to hacking and other IT incidents, which can lead to breaches of sensitive patient health information. HIPAA rules apply to pharmacists and pharmacy staff. This course explores the HIPAA privacy and security rules and the penalties for noncompliance. Health technology is advancing rapidly. Health care professionals need to keep pace with these changes.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Identify the health care clinician's role in HIPAA compliance
- Describe HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules
- Explain penalties for HIPAA violations
- Use this information to answer questions about protected health information
Faculty
- Introduction
- Evolution of HIPAA
- HIPAA Rules for Covered Entities
- HIPAA Privacy Rule
- HIPAA Security Rule
- Protected Health Information
- Confidentiality and Substance Use Disorder Records
- Disclosure of PHI Allowed in Some Circumstances
- HIPAA Compliance and the HITECH Act
- HIPAA Breach Notification Rule
- Penalties for Violating HIPAA
- What's Next
- Summary
From June 29, 2026 through October 14, 2028, participants must:
- Read the "learning objectives" and "author and planning team disclosures"
- Study the section entitled "educational activity"
- Complete the Course Test and Evaluation form. The Course Test will be graded automatically. Following successful completion of the Course Test with a score of 70% or higher, a statement of participation will be made available immediately. (No partial credit will be given.)
Credit for this course will be automatically uploaded to CPE Monitor®.
Faculty Planner Disclosure
The following individuals were involved in developing this activity: Pamela Sardo, PharmD, BS. None of the individuals involved in developing this activity has a conflict of interest or financial relationships regarding the subject matter. There are no financial relationships or commercial or financial support relevant to this activity to report or disclose by RxCe.com or any of the individuals involved in the development of this activity.
Unlabeled Use Disclosure
The information provided in this course is general in nature, and it is designed solely to provide participants with continuing education credit(s). This course and materials are not meant to substitute for the independent, professional judgment of any participant regarding that participant's professional practice, including but not limited to patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or health management. Medical and pharmacy practices, rules, and laws vary from state to state, and this course does not cover the laws of each state; therefore, participants must consult the laws of their state as they relate to their professional practice. Healthcare professionals must consult their employer, healthcare facility, hospital, or other organization for guidelines, protocols, and procedures to follow. The information provided in this course does not replace those guidelines, protocols, and procedures, but is for academic purposes only, and this course's limited purpose is for the completion of continuing education credits. Participants are advised and acknowledge that information related to medications, their administration, dosing, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, warnings, precautions, or accepted uses is constantly changing. Any person taking this course understands that such a person must make an independent review of medication information before any patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and/or health management. Any discussion of off-label use of any medication, device, or procedure is informational only, and such uses are not endorsed hereby. Nothing contained in this course represents the opinions, views, judgments, or conclusions of RxCe.com LLC. RxCe.com LLC is not liable or responsible to any person for any inaccuracy, error, or omission with respect to this course or course material.
Please ensure the device you plan to use meets these requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 / Mac OS X 10.9 or later / iOS / Android
- Supported Browsers: Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera
- A connection to the internet
Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, RxCE.com is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
PTCB Recognition
RxCe.com, LLC, offers pharmacy technician continuing education courses for PTCB recertification. Pharmacy technician courses are indicated both in the Target Audience description and the ACPE UAN which will end with a "T".