HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act



Abstract

How important is it for you to keep your medical records private? Many people don't realize how easily accessible their medical records are, or perhaps it is just assumed that what goes on between a doctor and a patient stays between a doctor and a patient. Well, you know what they say about assuming. In actuality, your medical records can probably be accessed by any employee at your doctor's office. I work in the healthcare industry and have access to countless files. With a first and last name I can easily look up the results of your last labs, every emergency room visit or doctor's consultation you've ever had, whether or not you've kept your last doctor's appointment, not to mention your address and social security number. If any of what I have just said is beginning to worry, I'm here to let you know your information is safe under the privacy rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). I will give you a general idea of what HIPAA means to you, as well as the effects it will have on you and anyone who seeks medical attention and lastly, what healthcare providers are doing to enforce this act. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by Congress on 21 August 1996, and became effective July 1, 1997. This act is a grouping of regulations that work to combat waste, fraud and abuse, improve portability of health insurance coverage, and simplify health care administration. HIPAA is vitally important to the health care industry as it includes provisions to promote efficient electronic transmission of health information, enhance patient rights, and provide standards to protect the privacy and security of health information. HIPAA provides rights and protection for participants and beneficiaries in group health plans. It includes protections for coverage under group health plans that limit exclusions for pre-existing conditions, prohibit discrimination against employees and dependents based on their health status; and allows individuals to enroll in a new plan under certain circumstances.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Introduction

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) became law in 1996. It requires health care providers, insurance companies and others involved in health care transactions to provide security on any system containing personal health information, store and transmit that information according to standardized rules, and place an automatic audit on files to help keep track of who should have access to them and whether those access rules have been violated. HIPAA makes it easier to transfer health information electronically; it also provides important privacy and security standards to safeguard the confidentiality and availability of such information. This is a broad federal regulatory effort that significantly affects the health care industry. The paper presents detailed information on how the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) affects health care organizations guided by the laws and the patients that these facilities ...