Health Information Privacy, Compliance and Data Security
Graduate Certificate
Navigate the myriad legal, ethical and regulatory issues that intersect with data use, privacy protection and compliance.
Program Overview
The 100% online Graduate Certificate in Health Information Privacy and Data Security:
- 12 credit units, with four courses at three credit units each, which can be completed in less than eight months
- Free to apply
- No admissions test required
- Units earned may be applied to a Master of Legal Studies degree
- You may take one course (three credit units) from any of the courses offered in the three other Graduate Certificates in Health Law, including Health Law for Health Professionals, Regulatory Science, and Aging Law and Policy
This certificate will provide students with a strong foundation in the governing laws, cybersecurity measures, data analysis and use, and management issues associated with health information privacy. The courses focus on privacy laws that span the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), because they include specific data privacy protection compliance requirements that represent a business risk for organizations. Failing to meet these requirements or experiencing a data breach can have significant legal, financial, and reputation repercussions. The knowledge, skills, and abilities gained from this certificate are highly desirable to organizations in need of guidance to ensure compliance with the governing laws in America and abroad, and to be aware of emerging legislation in this space.
Curriculum
This course explores a range of contexts in which the courts and other branches of government have attempted to give definition to a legal right to privacy. The right to privacy is puzzling. Courts and policymakers grapple with the rules that ought to govern the collection and use of personal information. Since nearly every private industry and public agency has a stake in the matter, the stakes are high, and the need for privacy experts is great.
Better understand health data privacy and cybersecurity in the context of how companies’ structure, negotiate, and protect their commercial and compliance relationships. Specific topics include clinical research and privacy; risk management; health data security; and data security breaches.
The world of health information technology is rapidly changing with the adoption of electronic health records and the advancement of health information technology. The right information in the right hands at the right time is critical to effective patient care. This course provides an overview of the laws and regulations governing the use and disclosure of patient health information with a focus on patient rights in age of big data, data-sharing, and information blocking.
This course surveys the field of biomedical informatics, including the effective uses of biomedical data collected from individuals (patients) and populations for scientific inquiry, problem solving, and decision making. In addition, ethical, legal, and social implications of medical informatics are covered, with emphasis on technology ethics, digital health regulations, and privacy laws relevant to healthcare.
Is the telehealth era just beginning? This and other questions about telehealth will be explored in relation to laws, regulations, policies, and ethics surrounding health care and health education delivered at a distance. Are more gains in quality, affordability, and accessibility on the way for all or only certain areas of medicine, geographic regions, or particular population groups? This course takes a deep dive into the triumphs and tensions of the telehealth boom, including topics that cover the role of law in telehealth adoption, disparities and equitable access to telehealth, acute hospital care and long-term care in the home, reimbursement and billing, fraud and abuse concerns, data health privacy implications, and conclude with legal and fiscal considerations for the future of telehealth.
Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, you will obtain the following skills:
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Become familiar with the current and emerging U.S. and international privacy laws and regulations, including HIPAA, HITECH, and GDPR.
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Articulate the types of contractual, programmatic, compliance requirements that are necessary to ensure the privacy and security of health data.
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Identify privacy and cybersecurity requirements, standards, and best practices in heath data privacy, security, and compliance programs.
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Explain and apply constitutional underpinnings of privacy law, including balancing policy trade-offs and preserving the first and fourth amendments.
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Describe principles and applications of various analytic tools and techniques in data collection and management, e.g., bioinformatics, patient-reported outcomes, and clinical research.
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Awareness of emerging topics in health data privacy and security, including technology innovations and eHealth.
Career Possibilities
- Privacy officers
- Information Security Officers
- Compliance Officers
- IT Risk Assessment Administrators
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Data and Privacy Analysts