Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) with Safeguard: Security Rule, BAAs and Breach Readiness

IntermediateFree5 modules · 13 lessons · ~2 min

About this course

Learn when a software vendor becomes a HIPAA business associate and how to run the Security Rule, Business Associate Agreements and the Breach Notification Rule as an evidenced programme rather than a set of assurances. The course walks the administrative, physical and technical safeguards of 45 CFR 164, the four-factor breach assessment and its sixty-day clocks, and shows how Safeguard's Compliance and GRC suite, connectors and scanners produce the dated, six-year-retained evidence that healthcare customers and OCR ask for.

What you'll learn

Applicability and Roles

When a Software Vendor Becomes a Business Associate
PHI, ePHI, the Eighteen Identifiers and Minimum Necessary

Risk Analysis and Administrative Safeguards

The Risk Analysis OCR Actually Expects
Risk Management, Sanctions, Activity Review and the Security Official
Workforce, Training, Incidents, Contingency Planning and Evaluation

Technical Safeguards Evidenced from Safeguard

Access Control and Authentication: Required, Addressable and the Direction of Travel
Audit Controls, Integrity and Transmission Security
Vulnerability Management, Secrets, Data Discovery and Physical Safeguards in the Cloud

Business Associate Agreements and Vendor Chains

01Applicability and Roles2 lessons

When a Software Vendor Becomes a Business Associate
PHI, ePHI, the Eighteen Identifiers and Minimum Necessary

02Risk Analysis and Administrative Safeguards3 lessons

The Risk Analysis OCR Actually Expects

Common questions

How much does Safeguard Academy cost?

Nothing. Every course, exam, and certificate on the catalog is free — including retakes. All you need is a free Safeguard account.

What are the prerequisites?

None. The flagship course, Safeguard Certified Practitioner, is a beginner-level course — basic familiarity with how software is built helps, but every exam question is answerable from the lessons themselves.

Business Associate Agreements: Required Terms and Subcontractor Flow-Down
Healthcare Procurement Reviews and the Questionnaires Tab

Breach Readiness and Audit

Breach or Not: The Definition and the Four-Factor Risk Assessment
Notification Timelines, the Breach Log and Incident Evidence
OCR Audits, Penalties and Cross-Framework Evidence

Risk Management, Sanctions, Activity Review and the Security Official

Workforce, Training, Incidents, Contingency Planning and Evaluation

03Technical Safeguards Evidenced from Safeguard3 lessons

Access Control and Authentication: Required, Addressable and the Direction of Travel
Audit Controls, Integrity and Transmission Security
Vulnerability Management, Secrets, Data Discovery and Physical Safeguards in the Cloud

04Business Associate Agreements and Vendor Chains2 lessons

Business Associate Agreements: Required Terms and Subcontractor Flow-Down
Healthcare Procurement Reviews and the Questionnaires Tab

05Breach Readiness and Audit3 lessons

Breach or Not: The Definition and the Four-Factor Risk Assessment
Notification Timelines, the Breach Log and Incident Evidence
OCR Audits, Penalties and Cross-Framework Evidence2 min

What happens if I fail the exam?

You can retake it after a 24-hour cooldown, as many times as you need. Retakes are free, and each attempt draws a fresh random set of questions.

How long is a certificate valid?

The Safeguard Certified Practitioner credential is valid for 24 months from issue. The expiry date is printed on the certificate and shown live on its public verification page. Renewing means passing the current exam again.