HIPAA Compliance Essentials
HIPAA Compliance Essentials
HIPAA Compliance Fundamentals is a free course for anyone in the healthcare workforce who handles patient information, clinical, front-desk, billing, IT, administrative, and business-associate staff.
About this course
HIPAA Compliance Fundamentals is a free course for anyone in the healthcare workforce who handles patient information — clinical, front-desk, billing, IT, administrative, and business-associate staff — whether for onboarding or an annual refresher. The journey begins with what HIPAA is and who must comply, then moves through PHI and the 18 identifiers, the Privacy and Security Rules, and the everyday habits that keep patient data safe. Along the way you will learn to recognize and report breaches, understand how HIPAA is enforced and the penalties at stake, and help build a culture of compliance — all anchored in real, named OCR enforcement cases rather than abstract scenarios, and current as of the 2025–26 regulatory landscape.
At the completion of this course, learners will have confident, everyday HIPAA literacy — able to protect PHI in their day-to-day work and know exactly what to do when something goes wrong.
You will also receive a certificate to showcase your skills and demonstrate your commitment to protecting patient privacy.
Course outline
What HIPAA Is & Why It Matters
In this module, you will learn what HIPAA is, who must comply, the agencies that enforce it (HHS and its Office for Civil Rights), and — through real breach cases like Anthem and Change Healthcare — why a single lapse can be catastrophic for an organization and an individual.
Key Concepts
In this module, you will learn to recognize PHI, ePHI, and the 18 identifiers, distinguish a covered entity from a business associate, understand why a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is required, and see how the core HIPAA rules fit together.
The Privacy Rule
In this module, you will learn how PHI may be used and disclosed, the 'minimum necessary' standard, when written patient authorization is required, and the core patient rights — including the heavily enforced right of access.
The Security Rule
In this module, you will learn what the Security Rule requires to protect ePHI, the role of the Security Risk Analysis (SRA), and the three categories of safeguards — administrative, physical, and technical — in the tools you already use.
Everyday Compliance: Protecting PHI at Work
In this module, you will learn to translate HIPAA into daily habits — securing devices and workspaces, recognizing phishing, handling PHI safely in conversation and email, and avoiding the most common everyday mistakes.
Breaches & Incident Response
In this module, you will learn what counts as a breach, how the four-factor risk assessment works, the Breach Notification Rule and its timelines, and your duty to report a suspected incident quickly and correctly.
Enforcement, Penalties & Accountability
In this module, you will learn how OCR enforces HIPAA, the four civil penalty tiers, civil-versus-criminal exposure, and — through real, named cases — why even small organizations and individual employees face real enforcement.
Building a Culture of Compliance & Staying Current
In this module, you will learn the elements of a sustainable compliance program, your personal role in a culture of compliance, and how to keep current as HIPAA continues to evolve through the 2025–26 regulatory landscape.
Get access to the complete curriculum once you enroll in the course
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