The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Computer Certification Training Center has been authorized as an official training center by the HIPAA Academy, an industry leader in coursework to help the health care industry comply with federal rules balancing the privacy and portability of patient health data in the information age.

HIPAA is an acronym for The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, a law that required the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish national standards for electronic health care transactions. HIPAA also aimed to balance concerns about the security and privacy of patient health data with improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's health care system.

"The HIPAA Academy fills a void created by the vast requirements within the HIPAA Legislation," said Allen Nguyen, President of the HIPAA Academy Program. "People don't know where to go to prepare for HIPAA compliancy. We have everyone from corporate executives to data entry personnel desperately seeking a learning environment to relieve the stress associated with a regulation of this magnitude."

Doug Kendzierski, an Associate Vice-Provost at UMBC said, "This training partnership reflects UMBC's successful track record in addressing critical workforce and public policy issues. Given the large number of health care providers in our region, the obligation to respond to this particular issue is apparent. The fact that it supports a major federal initiative, while ensuring the public's rights, magnifies our responsibility to provide service in a manner consistent with the UMBC's tradition of high-quality training programs."

The HIPAA Academy program covers core HIPAA skills that are broadly required for professionals in the health care and insurance industries as well as IT workers. UMBC plans to deliver the HIPAA Academy Professional and Administrator awareness training beginning in October of 2002, coinciding with the program's national rollout. Kendzierski noted that the UMBC Center would also offer proctored exams for the Certified HIPAA Professional and Certified HIPAA Administrator tracks starting this month.