HIPAA Act

HIPAA Act

What is HIPAA

In the modern society, healthcare is just one of the many fields that are evolving rapidly. The emergence of computerized patient records, electronic mails, videoconferencing, and telehealth had redefined the manner in which healthcare services are delivered today (Antognini, 2002). However, along with rapid technological advances in the field of healthcare, the need to protect sensitive healthcare information of patients has also increased (Maheu et al., 2001). The HIPAA act was established in the year 1996 and stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. One of its fundamental functions is related to privacy as it ensures the protection of confidential data and sensitive information related to the health of patients (Maheu et al., 2001).

How it impacts patient privacy

HIPAA's final Privacy Rule covers a wide range of entities like healthcare providers, healthcare clearinghouses, health plans, business associates (Maheu et al., 2001). The Act affects nearly everyone in one way or another. For instance, its effects on the health care providers are strong as it increases their awareness of the ways in which personal information should be stored in a secure manner and made available (Schmidt, 2005). In addition to this, it also affects institutions, hospitals in particular, by imposing fines in the event that effective measures are not adopted in order to comply with the act. Lastly, the HIPAA Act also affects existing and potential patients (Schmidt, 2005).

HIPAA - an improvement to health facility operation

HIPAA was specifically designed in order to improve the continuity and portability of the healthcare system by simplifying it through a series of changes recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Congress. One of the primary functions of HIPAA is to ensure the protection of health information of patients and other confidential and sensitive information (Follansbee, 2002). For instance, ...