Remember: This is just a sample from a fellow student. Those controls include administrative measures, physical security for paper records and electronic devices that store health data, and technical controls such as encryption, anti-virus software, and firewalls. Having trouble finding the perfect essay? Most Americans have heard of HIPAA and know that the legislation applies to healthcare organizations, but many do not understand why HIPAA is important to patients. Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-importance-of-being-hipaa-compliant/, Recieve 100% plagiarism-Free paper just for 4.99$ on email, *Public papers are open and may contain not unique content. If a mistake is made recording health data, it could have an impact on decisions about the best treatment for patients. We can custom edit this essay into an original, 100% plagiarism free essay. You can order Unique paper and our professionals Rewrite it for you. Attention! HIPAA helps to ensure that any information disclosed to healthcare providers and health plans, or information that is created by them, transmitted, or stored by them, is subject to strict security controls. If you fit this description, you can use our free essay samples to generate ideas, get inspired and figure out a title or outline for your paper. You can get 100% plagiarism FREE essay in 30sec, Sorry, we cannot unicalize this essay. HIPAA does not apply to life insurance companies, workers compensation schemes, employers, schools, many state agencies, law enforcement agencies, the media, and many municipal offices. It is also known as a security rule that helps in protecting electronic health information as well. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. Now HIPAA covers patient privacy, uses and disclosures of health data, and data security. HIPAA is also vital for patients who would like to be more active in their healthcare and obtain and check their medical records. (Better Credit Today, 2017; Edwards, 2017); Go Telecare, 2017; HIPAA Journal, 2017; Indiana University, 2017; MB Guide, 2017). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 – or HIPAA – is a federal law that applies to healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses that conduct transactions electronically. HIPAA Advice, Email Never Shared To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below: Sorry, copying is not allowed on our website. HIPAA also applies to vendors – business associates – that perform functions on behalf of HIPAA-covered entities that requires them to have access to protected health information (PHI) or be provided with copies of PHI. HIPAA also gives patients confidentiality with their PHI. Breach News Since all HIPAA-covered entities must use the same code sets and nationally recognized identifiers, this helps enormously with the transfer of electronic health information between healthcare providers, health plans, and other entities. (Better Credit Today, 2017; Edwards, 2017); Go Telecare, 2017; HIPAA Journal, 2017; Indiana University, 2017; MB Guide, 2017). Compliance in a reception setting can be having a conversation behind closed doors instead of at the front desk or flipping a patient’s chart over to maintain anonymity. 2018 Oct 26 [cited 2020 Nov 3]. 2020 © gradesfixer.com. Copyright © 2014-2020 HIPAA Journal. This should only happen after the established billing cycles has been reached without payment from a patient. All rights reserved. HIPAA Journal's goal is to assist HIPAA-covered entities achieve and maintain compliance with state and federal regulations governing the use, storage and disclosure of PHI and PII. Receive weekly HIPAA news directly via email, HIPAA News Author: Steve Alder has many years of experience as a journalist, and comes from a background in market research. HIPAA has helped to streamline administrative healthcare functions, improve efficiency in the healthcare industry, and ensure protected health information is shared securely. Generally speaking, access to health data is restricted to healthcare employees who need to view health and personal information in order to provide healthcare services and perform any administration duties. One other important reason for obtaining copies of health data is to check health records for errors. The fine for this category begins at $50,000 per violation. HIPAA gives patients and plan members the right to obtain copies of the health data generated or stored by healthcare companies. This allows breach victims to take action to protect their identities and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of fraud. While HIPAA protects patient privacy by placing restrictions on who can access health data and healthcare organizations are required to implement security controls to keep PHI secure, privacy and security breaches may still likely to occur. HIPAA is important for patients who want to take a more active role in their healthcare and want to obtain copies of their health information. Obtaining copies of health information also helps patients when they seek treatment from new healthcare providers – information can be passed on, tests do not need to be repeated, and new healthcare providers have the entire health history of a patient to inform their decisions. Category 3 is when a violator made an attempt to correct their mistake, but the mistake was not corrected.
Patients are also given control over who their information is released to and who it is shared with. Prior to the Introduction of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, there was no requirements for healthcare organizations to release copies of patients’ health information.
HIPAA Journal's goal is to assist HIPAA-covered entities achieve and maintain compliance with state and federal regulations governing the use, storage and disclosure of PHI and PII. Cancel Any Time. Healthcare employees must also be trained how to recognize threats such as phishing emails and other email and web-based threats.
The Privacy Rule also allows patients to designate which individuals are permitted to obtain their health data on behalf of patients – friends, family, or caregivers for instance.
Author: Steve Alder has many years of experience as a journalist, and comes from a background in market research.
Category 4 is willful neglect with absolutely no attempt at correcting this violation. Copyright © 2014-2020 HIPAA Journal. The Importance of Patient Privacy and Following the HIPAA Privacy Rules and Regulations as a Nurse Essay, Spectrum of Salivary Gland Disorders in a Tertiary Care Hospital : A Four Year Experience Essay, The Patient Protection and the Care Act of Healthcare Essay, The role of the Manganese for the human health Essay, How do feelings impact to our health? Healthcare providers may make mistakes when recording health data. Category 1 states that the violator was unaware of and could not avoid making the violation.
By obtaining copies of health information, patients can easily share that information with any healthcare organizations, including research organizations to help in studies that benefit the population as a whole.
What are the HIPAA Breach Notification Requirements? HIPAA does not apply to health app developers for instance, unless they are contracted to develop apps or provide apps to patients by a HIPAA covered entity. (Better Credit Today, 2017; Edwards, 2017); Go Telecare, 2017; HIPAA Journal, 2017; Indiana University, 2017; MB Guide, 2017). HIPAA compliance isn’t a very difficult concept to comprehend. Regulatory Changes HIPAA introduced a number of important benefits for the healthcare industry to help with the transition from paper records to electronic copies of health information. HIPAA gives patients the right to obtain copies of the health information created or held by healthcare organizations. A second goal of HIPAA was to prevent healthcare fraud and ensure that all ‘protected health information’ was appropriately secured and to restrict access to health data to authorized individuals. This post greatly simplifies HIPAA and explains why HIPAA is important to patients. By getting copies of health data, patients could easily share their data with another healt… Healthcare organizations can only share PHI with business associates that perform for healthcare operations services on behalf of a covered entity that require access to PHI: Transcription service providers, payment processors, or mailing vendors for example. This results in $10,000 to $50,000 in fines, per violation.
HIPAA also allows patients to control the types of people their health data is shared with. HIPAA Journal provides the most comprehensive coverage of HIPAA news anywhere online, in addition to independent advice about HIPAA compliance and the best practices to adopt to avoid data breaches, HIPAA violations and regulatory fines. In such cases, those business associates must agree to keep data secure and the same rules apply for access and disclosures of PHI to other individuals or companies. Confidentiality with PHI. Receive weekly HIPAA news directly via email, HIPAA News (Better Credit Today, 2017; Edwards, 2017); Go Telecare, 2017; HIPAA Journal, 2017; Indiana University, 2017; MB Guide, 2017). HIPAA is important because it ensures healthcare providers, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and business associates of HIPAA-covered entities must implement multiple safeguards to protect sensitive personal and health information. HIPAA was signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1996, although the legislation has had some significant updates over the years, notably the HIPAA Privacy Rule in 2000, the Security Rule in 2003, and the Breach Notification Rule in 2009. From a patient’s appointment with the provider to sending a patient’s account to collections, a medical biller should be fastidious and observant to all the information that is being shared and processed to ensure that only what is needed is provided. Failure to adhere to HIPAA rules and regulations can result in legal action on different levels.