FAQ's | Help Center | Accountable

Table of Contents

• HIPAA Fundamentals

  • What is HIPAA?

  • Who must comply with HIPAA?

  • When should a compliance plan be established?

  • What are the major areas of concern in compliance planning?

  • Why is a compliance plan required?

• Definitions

  • What is a Covered Entity (CE)?

  • What is a Business Associate (BA)?

  • What is a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?

• Accountable Platform Operations

  • How do I assign a Primary Privacy Officer?

  • Where can I find policy templates?

  • How do I edit, publish, or upload policies?

  • How do I invite staff to complete training?

  • How do I add a third-party vendor profile?

  • How do I execute a BAA in the platform?

  • How do I audit vendor risk?

  • How do I perform a Security Risk Assessment (SRA)?

  • How do I update billing information?

  • How can I monitor staff training progress?

  • How do I send bulk training reminders?

  • What does the dashboard display?

  • What is the Data Breach Monitoring Tool?

  • How do I report an incident?

  • How do I offboard a user?

  • What is the Seal of Compliance?

  • How can I resolve common account-related prompts?

  • Can I upload external policies and BAAs?

  • How do I download the Seal of Compliance?

HIPAA Fundamentals

• What is HIPAA?
  The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 sets U.S. standards for protecting PHI. The Privacy Rule mandates safeguarding individuals’ health information. The Security Rule requires technical safeguards, including access control, audit trails, and encryption. HIPAA applies to Covered Entities and their Business Associates.
• Who must comply with HIPAA?
  Any entity handling PHI for U.S.-based patients. Compliance obligations apply to both covered entities and business associates.
• When should a compliance plan be established?
  A compliance plan should be established immediately upon handling PHI. HIPAA compliance is continuous and dynamic.
• What are the major areas of concern in compliance planning?
  Administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. Key components include risk assessments, policies and procedures, secure technical infrastructure, employee training, and BAAs.
• Why is a compliance plan required?
  A compliance plan is mandated by law and provides a structured framework for consistent organizational compliance.

Definitions

• What is a Covered Entity (CE)?
  Healthcare providers, health plans, or clearinghouses involved in electronic PHI transactions.
• What is a Business Associate (BA)?
  An external party handling PHI on behalf of a covered entity. Examples include EHR providers, IT vendors, and shredding services.
• What is a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?
  A legally binding contract governing PHI shared between covered entities and business associates. Specifies responsibilities and breach protocols.

Accountable Platform Operations

• How do I assign a Primary Privacy Officer?
  Navigate to Dashboard > Actions Menu > Assign Privacy Officer.
• Where can I find policy templates?
  Navigate to Compliance > Policies and Procedures > Policy Template Library.
• How do I edit, publish, or upload policies?

  • Edit: Navigate to Policies and Procedures > Use Template > Edit.

  • Publish: Navigate to Policies and Procedures > Open Policy > Publish. Uncheck notification if required.

  • Upload: Navigate to Policies and Procedures > Start from Scratch or Upload a PDF.

• How do I invite staff to complete training?
  Navigate to People > Invite Team Member. Select invite method: email, Google/Microsoft import, or shareable link. Select required training modules.
  For bulk upload, use CSV import.
• How do I add a third-party vendor profile?
  Navigate to Third Parties > Manage All > Add Third Party Profile. Enter vendor details, risk level, data stored, and contact information.
• How do I execute a BAA in the platform?
  Navigate to Third Parties > Manage All > Vendor Profile > Agreements Tab > Select Template > Preview > Send. The status updates after execution.
• How do I audit vendor risk?
  Navigate to Third Parties > Manage All > Vendor Profile > Risk Questionnaire > Preview > Assign to Vendor. Automated scoring is provided.
• How do I perform a Security Risk Assessment (SRA)?
  Navigate to Compliance > Assessments > New Assessment > Security Risk
• How do I update billing information?
  Navigate to User Profile > Subscription > Billing Portal.
• How can I monitor staff training progress?
  Navigate to People. Training modules display status icons. Use filters to sort by completion.
• How do I send bulk training reminders?
  Navigate to People > Select Users > Training Categories > Bell Icon > Send Reminders.
• What does the dashboard display?
  The dashboard displays compliance progress and links to Privacy Officer, Incidents, Policies, Assessments, Team Training, Data Inventory, and Third Parties.
• What is the Data Breach Monitoring Tool?
  A monitoring tool for third-party breaches involving staff. Provides risk scoring and employee notifications with next-step guidance.
• How do I report an incident?
  Navigate to Security Monitoring > Incident Response > Report an Incident > Complete Form (Reporter, Title, Category, Date/Time, Details).
• How do I offboard a user?
  Navigate to People > Manage All > Select User > Offboard. This archives access.
• What is the Seal of Compliance?
  A badge denoting completion of the compliance plan with third-party support
• Can I upload external policies and BAAs?
  Yes. External uploads are unsupported by Accountable staff and used at the organization’s own risk.
• How do I download the Seal of Compliance?
  Navigate to Compliance > Seal of Compliance > Download.