HIPAA: Privacy and Security Rules The Computer, the Nurse and You Introduction How would you like to keep track of your personal health information record in your computer at home? The electronic data exchange was one of the goals of the government to improve the delivery and competence of the U.S. healthcare system. To achieve this plan, the U.S. Congress passed a regulation that will direct its implementation. The Department of Health and Human Services is the branch of the government that was assigned to oversee the HIPAA rules. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is a national public law in the United States that was created to improve health insurability, prevent insurance abuse and to protect the privacy and security of a person’s health information. Thesis Statement: The knowledge about the HIPAA Privacy and Security rules; its coverage and benefits; its development and updates will help an individual to understand the law to effectively manage and protect his or her own personal health record. The advent of computer technology and the HIPAA terms that were associated with information system will be discussed. Some of the experiences with HIPAA will shared to give a better picture and understanding of the law. HIPAA: Privacy and Security Rules What is HIPAA? The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was passed by the U.S. Congress to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage; to combat waste, fraud and abuse in health insurance; to reduce costs and the administrative burdens by improving efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system by standardizing the interchange of electronic data; and to ensure the pri... ... middle of paper ... ...). Privacy and Health Information Technology. Journal of Law Medicine, 37(2), 121-149. Retrieved January 28, 2011 from CINAHL database North Carolina DHHS. (2008). HIPAA Timeline. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://hipaa.dhhs.state.nc.us/hipaa2002/whatishipaa/HIPAATimeline.html Schmeida, M. (2005). HIPAA of 1996: Just an Incremental Step in Reshaping Government. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from American Nursing Association Web Site: http://www.nursingworld.org Sobel, R. (2007). The HIPAA Paradox. The Privacy Rule that’s Not. Hasting Center Report, 37(4), 40-50. U.S. DHHS (2002). Understanding HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/index. Wisconsin DHHS. (2010). Timeline of HIPAA Changes. Retrieved January 22, 2011, from http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/hipaa/Timeline/index.htm
Since the formed President Bill Clinton signed HIPAA policy in to law, it has been a driving for the healthcare facilities though out the United State. This law has been shaping the healthcare facilities better conditions. HIPAA policy has causes the healthcare facilities to have document in place when a patient is admitted to the hospital seeing physician at clinic or all confidentiality document must be sign up on a admitted. When these documents signed, the patient and the others person who authorized to view any of the documents, for example: Medical records of the patient medication, diseases, tests results, etc.
– Health plans; – Health care clearinghouses;. – Health care providers who transmit health information in electronic form for certain standard transactions. Even though HIPAA was signed into law over seven years ago, its effects are mostly being felt now. This is because of its schedule of compliance. * 10/16/2002 - Transactions and code sets * 4/14/2003 – Privacy Rule * 4/14/2003 – Business Associates * 4/20/2005 – Security Rule This delay stems from a provision in the original act stating that if Congress did not specify certain regulations by the end of 1999, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had to do it.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Understanding HIPAA. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/summary/
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA is a statute endorsed by the U.S. Congress in 1996. It offers protections for many American workers which improves portability and continuity of health insurance coverage. The seven titles of the final law are Title I - Health care Access , Portability, Title II - Preventing Health Care Fraud and Abuse; administrative simplification; Medical Liability Reform; Title III – Tax-related Health Provisions; Title IV – Application and Enforcement of Group Health Plan Requirements; Title V – Revenue Offsets; Title XI – General Provisions, Peer Review, Administrative Simplification; Title XXVII – Assuring Portability, Availability and Renewability of Health Insurance Coverage. (Krager & Krager, 2008)
US Congress created the HIPAA bill in 1996 because of public concern about how their private information was being used. It is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which Congress created to protect confidentiality, privacy and security of patient information. It was also for health care documents to be passed electronically. HIPAA is a privacy rule, which gives patients control over their health information. Patients have to give permission any health care provider can disclose any information placed in the individual’s medical records. It helps limit protected health information (PHI) to minimize the chance of inappropriate disclosure. It establishes national-level standards that healthcare providers must comply with and strictly investigates compliance related issues while holding violators to civil or criminal penalties if they violate the privacy of a person’s PHI. HIPAA also has boundaries for using and disclosing health records by covered entities; a healthcare provider, health plan, and health care clearinghouse. It also supports the cause of disclosing PHI without a person’s consent for individual healthcare needs, public benefit and national interests. The portability part of HIPAA guarantees patient’s health insurance to employees after losing a job, making sure health insurance providers can’t discriminate against people because of health status or pre-existing condition, and keeps their files safe while being sent electronically. The Privacy Rule protects individual’s health information and requires medical providers to get consent for the release of any medical information and explain how private health records are protected. It also allows patients to receive their medical records from any...
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, most commonly known by its initials HIPAA, was enacted by Congress then signed by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1996. This act was put into place in order to regulate the privacy of patient health information, and as an effort to lower the cost of health care, shape the many pieces of our complicated healthcare system. This act also protects individuals from losing their health insurance if they lose their employment or choose to switch employers. . Before HIPAA there was no standard or consistency for the enforcement of the privacy for patients and the rules and regulations varied by state and organizations. HIPAA virtually affects everybody within the healthcare field including but not limited to patients, providers, payers and intermediaries. Although there are many parts of the HIPAA act, for the purposes of this paper we are going to focus on the two main sections and the four objectives of HIPAA, a which are to improve the portability (the capability of transferring from one employee to another) of health insurance, combat fraud, abuse, and waste in health insurance, to promote the expanded use of medical savings accounts, and to simplify the administration of health insurance.
Congress addressed growing public concern about privacy and security of personal health data, and in 1996 passed “The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” (HIPAA). HIPAA sets the national standard for electronic transfers of health data. Before HIPAA, each state set their own standards. Now states must abide by the minimum standards set by HIPAA. States can enact laws to incorporate and/or strengthen the basic rights given by HIPAA.
However, the continuous advances of information technology, including telehealth, computerized medical databases (Immunization Information System), telemedicine, electronic health records, and etc., have increased the possibility of potential intentional and unintentional breaches of private or confidential health
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act passed and were signed into law on August 21, 1996. It affects the medical facility and its day to day operations; in many different ways. HIPAA sets higher standard of operation for healthcare workers and the facilities. "HIPAA was instituted to "improve the portability and continuity of health insurance coverage; to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and healthcare delivery; to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long term care services and coverage; to simplify the administration of health insurance; and to serve other purposes" (Kinn’s, 2011).
Some of the things that HIPAA does for a patient are it gives patients more control over their health information. It sets boundaries on the use and release of health records. It establishes appropriate guidelines that health care providers and others must do to protect the privacy of the patients’ health information. It holds violators accountable, in court that can be imposed if they violate patients’ privacy rights by HIPAA. Overall HIPAA makes it to where the health information can’t b...
Privacy and confidentiality are essential rights of the public society. Shielding those rights, with respect to an individual’s personal health information, is the nurses ethical and legal obligation as health care providers. As new demands of advanced technology use in health are is increasing, it is very significant for nurses to maintain the privacy and confidentially as the professional connection of their patients and colleagues are dependent on it (Gorea RK, Gorea A, Gorea A, 2016)
HIPAA protects any patient information and includes anything written, verbal, and electronically. There are however exceptions. Protected health information has individual identifiable health information that is maintained in any way. This includes your name, address, and d...
Privacy challenges. Privacy is a circumstance of restricted right of entry to an information regarding an individual (Knoppers, 2015). Brothers and Rothstein (2015) noted numerous other kinds of privacy, comprising physical, decisional, proprietary and relational or associational privacy. This study emphasizes on informational health privacy. When it comes to privacy issues the crucial question to explore is; how can leadership balance the right of privacy with the advantageous requirement for clinical data-access in EHR? The Privacy Act of 1974 is the US law that represents national standards to protect the private health information of individuals by mandating appropriate safeguards and limitations on the right to use and release of (PHI)
Technology is having a significant role in various professional positions and will contribute in dictating the future of care delivery. Privacy is
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA), Confidential Information and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA), and the Freedom of Information Act all provide legal protection under many laws. It also involves ethical protection. The patient must be able to completely trust the healthcare provider by having confidence that their information is kept safe and not disclosed without their consent. Disclosing any information to the public could be humiliating for them. Patient information that is protected includes all medical and personal information related to their medical records, medical treatments, payment records, date of birth, gender, and