Privacy Law and HIPAA (Coursera)

First, we will examine the historical context that drove the creation of laws, best practices, and other standards for protecting personal information. We will also consider where in the U.S. privacy laws exist and which sectors remain unregulated. Next, we will focus on the federal health privacy law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) – and what it takes to comply with it. How do you know the scope of the requirements? And once you know HIPAA applies, how do you actually put measures in place to ensure compliance?
We’ll explore the notion that one cannot have privacy without strong security and examine various models that promote the security of personal information. We’ll look closely at breach notification laws – one of the most significant drivers of change in organizations – and discuss strategies for the improvement of data protection overall. Lastly, we will look at international law, state law, the unique and important role of the Federal Trade Commission in protecting privacy. Most importantly, we get practical – we will discuss real-world, practical approaches to how compliance professionals can navigate the complex landscape of privacy requirements to best protect their organizations.

What You Will Learn

• Provide methods for protecting privacy using the Fair Information Principles
• Identify the laws and regulations that pertain to data protection
• Identify the privacy obligations that can apply to complex organizations
• Identify strategies for managing compliance issues related to privacy laws and data protection

Course 2 of 4 in the Healthcare Law Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Privacy: Legal Issues, Landscape & Chronology
We begin our study of privacy and data protection with a brief look at the development of privacy law in the U.S. Then we examine the Fair Information Principles that provide the foundation of modern privacy and data protection programs.

WEEK 2
HIPAA
How does a privacy law actually operate? This module looks at privacy and data protection in action, specifically using HIPAA as the framework.

WEEK 3
Security & Breach Notification
What is data protection actually protecting us from? This module looks at the threats to data security and the processes that exist for dealing with a data breach.

WEEK 4
Other Ways that Privacy is Regulated
As massive privacy breaches continue to happen, more regulatory bodies are taking on privacy concerns. This module examines the important role of the Federal Trade Commission, and concludes with a close look at the General Data Protection Regulation recently passed by the European Union.