HIPAA Training | HIPAA Compliance Services

The success of any chiropractic office depends on much more than the skill of the chiropractor. In order to keep patients satisfied, they must feel respected, cared for, and valued. They need to feel that their chiropractor’s office is a harmonious and happy place where they can come to heal.

Managing Patient Flow

“Patient flow” refers to the movement of patients in the office. This includes scheduling appointments, organizing appointments so that all patients can access the therapeutic equipment they need, and keeping patient movements efficient. Here are a few ways to keep patient flow organized and moving comfortably:

Plan appointments based on patient needs. Don’t schedule two people who both need muscle stim to have appointments at the same time if you have only one muscle stim setup. Make sure everyone has equal access to exercise rooms, massage equipment, etc.

Complete a work flow via a time and motion study to find bottlenecks.

Schedule carefully. Assign a time to a ‘unit’ of care and then determine how many units are needed per service and schedule accordingly. Ex: A standard adjustment may equal one unit (ex. 5 min.) and therefore a new patient visit may need 5 units (25min) on the book. Depending on the office we often recommend to our clients that they book specific pieces of equipment or rooms in the office separately to help manage ‘log jams’ or that they periodically block out a ‘unit’ to give some ‘catch up’ time. The number one reason people fail to get results from chiropractic is that they do not get the treatment! Set up your schedule to accommodate people so it easy for them to return and experience the outcome you know they can get. This is important on so many levels:
- Healthier, happier patients will continue to return and refer to your business.
- Your stress level will be lower, so that you come across to your patients as relaxed, personable, and professional.
- And you’re less likely to have a patient “bottleneck,” where one long appointment creates a cascade effect—and by the end of the day you’re running an hour behind, rushing through displeased client after displeased client.
Manage Information Gathering. Each time your patients come in, you’ll want to make sure their insurance has not changed, and gather some basic information on their current condition. Here’s how to keep it streamlined:
- Talk to each patient as they check in, collecting basic information so that you don’t have to call them back to the check-in desk.
- Consider automating the collection of information. Set up a computer terminal (or a printed questionnaire) and ask each patient to answer standardized questions at each check-in.
- Ask patients to come a few minutes early to allow time for information gathering and to ameliorate scheduling problems if they’re likely to be a few minutes late and /or have your new patient forms available on line for patients to complete and return in advance Keep your paper work streamlined and review forms at least every six months to eliminate duplication of material or to institute other more efficient approaches.

Managing Staff Morale

Part of building happy patients is building a happy staff. That responsibility falls to the chiropractor and the C.A. but also to each and every staff member. Here are a few tips for building a contented and cohesive staff that encourages satisfied clients:

Invest in leadership. Whether it takes the form of weekly meetings, occasional one-on-one chats, or just a strong-but-friendly daily presence, the chiropractor and C.A.need to take a day-to-day role in leading the office staff. Lead by example, not by request. If you want organization and friendliness, make those key components of your daily demeanor in the office.
Value happiness. From the moment a new employee steps into the office, his (or her) superiors should come from the point of view that they are responsible for his professional development. People who are encouraged to succeed, who feel valued and utilized, are more likely to be happy at work.
Request (and enforce) professionalism. Most offices need a certain amount of policing. When you ask the best of people, you tend to get it. Request that your employees maintain friendly and professional manners, not falling into habits of being overly familiar or complaining to patients. You’d be surprised how often it happens.

Addressing and improving these issues leads to increased patient confidence and that is THE MOST IMPORTANT determining factor of whether patients follow your recommendations and refer others.

Patients who visit a chiropractic office are quite often ill or in significant pain. Just the thought of coming to a place where the people are kind, thoughtful, concerned, and interested in making each patient feel better can make a big difference to patients’ mindsets and physical outcomes. Caring for your office morale and efficiency can be one of the best methods of improving your patients’ outcomes.

You invest time and energy into building a successful chiropractic practice. Now invest the time to protect it! Fill out our online form for more information on how to make your Chiropractic office HIPAA compliant, and protect your business from fines, fees, and audits.

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Chiropractors count as “covered entities” under HIPAA. That means you must comply with a mandated annual training schedule to make sure you’re HIPAA compliant, protecting both your patients’ personal health information (PHI) and your own business.

HIPAA training

What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 addresses patients’ rights when it comes to the protection of their personal health information. Patients’ personal health information is now protected by privacy laws, so that “covered entities” can’t release their medical records or other information without the patient’s prior written approval.

HIPAA Training

In order for businesses that keep personal health information to be compliant with HIPAA, employees must receive ongoing training in HIPAA rules, policies, and practices. The rules must then be followed and policies and practices must be performed as per the training. As well, any of the required training subjects, that address needed policies or practices not yet in effect, must have a plan to be implemented, followed through, documented and recorded in your HIPAA compliance manual. This training is part of HIPAA compliance but it’s also a protective mechanism for your business. If you or your employees don’t understand, and abide by all the details of HIPAA compliance and your chiropractic practice inadvertently violates the law, you may face any or all of the following: $50,000 fines, lawsuits, audits, costly interruptions to the normal flow of your business, being reported to your Board of Examiners, or being reported to third party payers including PPO’s/MCO’s in which you participate.

How to Comply with HIPAA Training Requirements

Comprehensive HIPAA training can help prevent any of those consequences from occurring. There are no specifications on how the training must be completed, but there are requirements relative to the topics that must be covered and there is a mandate that training be done (and documented) for ALL staff members annually.

Training methods can and should include:

Educational courses: Whether in person or online, make sure the courses you pick cover topics that directly relate to the way you do business. Choose courses that include hands-on examples of particular situations, so that you and your staff become versed in handling actual compliance situations before you do it “live.” Something that sounds easy on paper can become deceptively difficult once you’re tied up in the red tape of actual compliance management.
Computer HIPAA training: Computerized storage and transfer of patient records creates all-new potential hazards when it comes to accidental breaches of patient security. If you store PHI online, you’ll need to undergo specific HIPAA training designed to help you avoid those instances and ameliorate the damage if they do occur.
Ongoing training: The best HIPAA compliance firms won’t simply teach a class or two when you ask, but will help you plan for your training needs and help you implement concerted training efforts over time. Set up a long-term plan to keep up with HIPAA compliance training, and you’ll be on track to protect your patients, your practice and yourself.
Coverage of Every Requirement: There are multiple training requirements necessary for full HIPAA compliance. Written policies, workforce training, and how to manage complaints–among other things–must be covered in your training. You can read Laura Barten’s article on training requirements for more general overview information.

Make sure you choose a reputable company that specializes in HIPAA compliance and that has consultants with a long track record, so you know you’re receiving comprehensive training that accounts for all eventualities. Even with the best you cannot be 100% covered or safe. Laws and rules are constantly changing. You need a relationship with advisors who can maximize your protection. You don’t want to get caught out on a technicality.

Fill out our online form for more information on how to make your chiropractic office HIPAA compliant. We’ll help you from start to finish, so you know you’re covered every single day.

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