Legal compliance, not behavioral change, has been the focus of many HIPAA Privacy Standards educational programs, made necessary by the April 14, 2003 deadline for HIPAA compliance. In addition, significant numbers of smaller providers remain non-compliant due to a lack of reliable resources, or triage remediation concentrating on the HIPAA compliance team, but not extending to awareness among their larger workforce.

These realities have prompted UMBC's workforce development company to expand its HIPAA solutions beyond the existing intensive, professional certification program, to a much shorter and but effective overview course that is conveniently available as an online “HIPAA Privacy Essentials” module. UMBC Training Centers, LLC, will partner with Accumentor, an Annapolis-based provider of HIPAA content nationally recognized for outstanding content and delivery systems, for this initiative.

“The aggressive compliance deadline has driven a plethora of training activities, but the impact on daily workplace behavior change has been modest. Clearly, there is a need for learning experiences that drive substantive change, consistent with the goals of the regulations. This need will intensify as the enforcement of the Office for Civil Rights and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, along with the general case law increases,”,says Richard Hughen, principal of Accumentor.

“The UMBC- Accumentor partnership will ensure an effective learning continuum, across a spectrum that now ranges from general awareness for employees of any healthcare organization, to advanced certification for compliance officers and implementation team members through the HIPAA Academy network,” explains Doug Kendzierski, Associate Vice-Provost with UMBC's Division of Professional Education. “Our goals in expanding to this partnership are simple: deliver great content that will satisfy every organization's obligation to create awareness; make the education convenient via a nimble and reliable online delivery system; and keep it very affordable”

Kendzierski, who also serves as President/CEO of UMBC Training Centers, LLC, notes that the same partnership is developing additional programs designed to address the October “Security Rule” deadline, and future deadlines involving identifiers and transaction requirements, and is anxious to partner with local healthcare organizations with a need for customized HIPAA training solutions.

The new, “HIPAA Privacy Essentials” overview is currently available on an open-entry, open-exit basis for $65 per enrollee, or even more affordably on a volume-license basis for organizations with many employees to train. Kendzierski estimates that the typical enrollee can complete the program in 30-60 minutes. The course is designed to orient healthcare workers to the HIPAA Act, its component elements, the particular importance of HIPAA Privacy, and how the Privacy Rule fits within the larger construct of the Act. It ensures an understanding of the main requirements of the Privacy Rule, and illustrates the implications of applying the Privacy Rule in terms of behavior changes necessary in the workplace. A companion publication, “HIPAA Privacy Reference Manual” is also available for purchase, as a “go-to” desktop reference. Course details and online registration information are available at www.continuinged.umbc.edu/hipaa, or by calling UMBC Training Centers at (410) 594-2282.

About UMBC Training Centers, LLC
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), a regional leader in workforce development, established UMBC Training Centers, LLC as its continuing education and industry training operation, addressing critical regional employment priorities through responsive programming in areas such as Professional Engineering, BioTechnology/Regulatory Affairs, Federal Regulation Compliance, Professional Human Resource Management, Certified Financial Planning, LSAT/GMAT/GRE Test Preparation, PMI Project Management Certification, Certified Professional Bookkeeping and a full range of industry-standard computer certification programs. In partnership with such renowned organizations as The College for Financial Planning, the Project Management Institute, the HIPAA Academy, the Society for Human Resources Management, Microsoft, Oracle and Sun Microsystems, the LLC offers the finest content available in the marketplace, while maintaining the University's reputation for affordable programming. Programs include instructor-led and web-based training, with part-time, full-time, evening, weekend and weekday class schedules, and customized contract training available.

About Accumentor
Accumentor is a leading provider of turnkey learning and performance support solutions for health care professionals. The company's focus is health, safety, quality assurance and regulatory compliance. Accumentor tools improve patient care by increasing quality and compliance, reducing errors, and lowering institutional & individual risk and liability. Accumentor solutions reduce costs associated with training delivery, administration, litigation and non-compliance.