Regulatory Compliance Influences Knowledge Sharing Within the Healthcare Organization

Purpose. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 incorporated American legislation aimed at protecting the security and privacy of patient information, while imposing a tremendous burden on healthcare organizations and their employees. This burden has become more significant because not only are the security and privacy provisions still evolving, but also those organizations and their employees are left to interpret and determine the compliance criteria while yet struggling to decode the language of the regulation. By leveraging theories from the domains of social exchange, networking, knowledge sharing, and organizational learning, the researcher seeks through this study to illuminate the characteristics of the environment (healthcare organization), the individual (healthcare administrative professionals), and the relevant interpretations of compliance intentions that influence communication and information sharing, which will result in superior knowledge management.;Design, methodology, and approach. A study of 212 healthcare administrative professionals who were located at healthcare facilities throughout the United States were surveyed regarding their perceptions of HIPAA compliance and the underlying organizational and individual factors that influence communication and information sharing for HIPAA compliance.;Findings. The findings indicate that, although organizations have deemed HIPAA compliance critical and although basic IT security has helped to maintain compliant communication of HIPAA regulations, communication and information sharing between managers and employees is often lacking. Furthermore, employees prefer to work in a learning organizational climate that promotes feedback because they are willing to communicate and share information; nevertheless, continuous training in HIPAA regulations is essential to comply with the regulations.;Research limitations and implications. This study is not without limitations because a larger number of respondents would have strengthened the findings of the study. In addition, legislation and reform is an ongoing process; hence, this project is confined to a specific timeframe.;Originality and value. This empirical study accounts for the influence of organizational and individual communication and information sharing on intentions to comply with HIPAA.