5 Reasons Every Organization Needs a Well-Trained Chief Privacy Officer

Collecting patient data and health information is a vital component of running a successful healthcare practice. But with data breaches hitting the news with alarming regularity, it’s also clear that protecting and securing the valuable information that your patients have entrusted to you needs to be a top concern. This isn’t a job to be done in a half-hearted fashion or pushed aside to be handled “later.” That’s why every healthcare organization needs a well-trained chief privacy officer (CPO).

A CPO sets privacy strategy within an organization, navigates the complex and changing landscape of regulatory compliance, and advocates for patient’s protection. Here are 5 ways having a CPO on your team will benefit your healthcare practice:

1. Reduce the chance of privacy and security breaches.

Your CPO will touch all areas of your privacy and security program and assessing those areas for your level of risk for the relevant vulnerabilities.  Once the level of risk is identified, the CPO will take the lead in addressing these vulnerabilities to mitigate their risk and reduce the chance of a breach.

2. Demonstrate your dedication to privacy and security.

Few organizations operate in a vacuum. Your organization cooperates with multiple other organizations to provide patient care - and each organization is responsible for protecting patient data and health information.

Having a well-trained CPO on your team is a visible investment in your privacy and security program - an investment that your business partners will appreciate.

3. Help keep patient satisfaction high.

Having a well-trained CPO on your team boosts patient satisfaction in two ways. First, as with your business partners, it demonstrates to patients that you take the responsibility of protecting their data and health information seriously.

Second, a trained CPO will be well-equipped to quickly and effectively handle any complaints that arise. The CPO is the person named on the Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) as the person to whom privacy and security complaints will come.  How -- and how effectively -- your CPO addresses these complaints determine how successfully and quickly the complaints can be resolved. In most cases, unhappy patients will make a complaint to the provider. Only when their complaints are not addressed in a satisfactory manner will they file a complaint with the regulatory agency. In other words, your CPO plays a vital role in preventing customer dissatisfaction from escalating to the point of an official complaint.

4. Helps you comply with a breach investigation.

When a breach investigation occurs, the level of professionalism presented to the regulatory agencies will have an enormous impact on how successfully the organization weathers the investigation.  You only have one chance to make a first impression. Investing in a well-trained, professional CPO is putting your best foot forward and demonstrates that you’re doing your best to protect patient data and health information.

5. Minimize your fines and penalties in the event of a breach.

Fines and penalties are based more on how compliant you are with the regulations than on the size of the breach.  A trained CPO will be the lead person in charge of your privacy and security program. Having this professional in place is the best way to ensure that you have a high level of compliance in your program, which translates into lower fines and penalties.

Designating a staff member to be in charge of your privacy and security program isn’t enough. You need to ensure that individual in charge -- your CPO -- is trained thoroughly so he or she not only understands what needs to be done to protect patient data and health information, but also knows how to design and oversee the program. Yes, it’s an investment of time and money. But it’s an investment that will pay off in greater patient satisfaction, fewer breaches, peace of mind, and lower fines and penalties if a breach occurs.

Ready to give your designated privacy officer the right training and skills to ensure that your privacy and security program is compliant with HIPAA – and your practice is protected? Check out Carosh’s Privacy Officer Organizational Fundamentals (POOF). In just 2 days, your CPO will learn how to design, implement and manage a privacy and security program; evaluate your program’s effectiveness; and assess vendors offering related services. Get full details here.