HIPAA Policy Analysis

US Congress created the Hipaa bill in 1996 because of public concern of 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 healthcare 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 healthcare 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 patients 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

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a set of national standards created for the protection of health information; it is also known as a “Privacy Rule”. This rule was employed in 1996 by the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to address the use and disclosure of an individual’s health information as well as the standards for the individual’s privacy rights to understand and control the manner in which their information is used.

A process within healthcare that has changed as a result of HIPAA is medical information security. The laws have been tightened more. Privacy audits can be done with covered entities if they have had complaints, or even if there have been none. In the event of high-profile incidents, privacy audits can be done also. The privacy rule has also changes as a result. The privacy rule affects 3 different situations in which private health information is handled, use, disclosure, and request. Because of the minimum necessary standard, healthcare providers and covered entities have to limit the use, disclosure, and requests to only the amount of information necessary to complete this.

Even though hipaa violations are an important standard in preventing many individuals from causing several breaches of information from getting out, it is important to work on a strategies within several health care organizations that will work with the privacy rules regarding violation laws. “Jill Granger & Laura Cataldo (2013) reports When working in the healthcare setting, it is important to consult with the guidelines established by one's institution and to participate in any training programs to insure that the appropriate steps are being taken to maintain privacy. There are also a variety of additional resources available from the federal government and professional organizations to assist in the training process that may be especially

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA, became an act in 1996 by the United States. The act specifies guidelines for the protection and circulation of individually healthcare information. It establishes regulated procedures for electronic data interchange, security, and confidentiality of all healthcare-related data. It is designed to protect individuals from an improper distribution of medical information. The act states what can and cannot be shared without permission and what individual medical records can be accessed by the individual. The act specifies possibilities for reparation and penalties for those who violate the act. HIPAA lessens uncertainty as to what is and what is not a privilege when obtaining individual information. The HIPAA privacy rule applies to all written, oral, or electronic patient information. The security rule covers electronic security and requirements for those receiving protected information. This also helps prevent breaches of information. When individual patients want to access their own medical records and insert corrections if needed, they rely on HIPAA for the right to do so. They are reassured that any of their information will only be shared with those who have a justifiable need to see it or have been given consent by the patient (Magee, n.d.). I believe HIPAA will continue

The HIPAA regulations define security as the health care providers are accountable for maintaining the confidentiality of individually identifiable health care information or the Patient Health Information(PHI). Excretion of the HIPAA Security Rule surrounds the following three vital shields for PHI in electronic form

A main key point I found interesting in this article is that HIPAA privacy regulations require covered entities to implement certain administrative,technical,and physical safeguards to protect the privacy of any

The new rules allow patients to participate with all aspect of their healthcare decisions. It focuses on patient’s involvement, decisions, continuous healing and patient control. The new rules are design to meet the patient’s needs. Throughout the years, physicians had more of a paternalistic view with competent patient’s healthcare choices. Even though, the physicians optimal goals is to practice non-maleficence and beneficence care, their knowledge regarding patient’s illness and care paternalistically diminish patient’s autonomy and involvement. The new rules reinforce those principles; it changes patient’s involvement, choices and preferences. It increases transparency, predict patient’s needs, continuity of care among physicians, institute evidence-based decisions and health records access.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed on August 21, 1996, with the intent of making health care delivery more efficient and increasing the number of Americans with health insurance coverage. The purpose of this law was to ensure the security and privacy of health information, it ensures the portability of employer-provided health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs. HIPAA also improves the efficiency of health care delivery by creating standards for electronic transmission of health care transactions.

The HIPAA law dictates how our organization not only handles patient privacy and record keeping, but also how we handle patients’ request to view medical records for a variety of reasons. A patient in our organization requested to attain complete access to his records that include psychiatric records as well. Although the HIPAA law grants access to patients, there may be some crucial provisions that require special attention. I have done extensive research to provide our organization with the lawful protocols we must follow in order to protect our organization and our patient’s rights as well. HIPAA’s concise guidelines are what provide our organization and patient a clear stance on our responsibilities as well as limitations in the release

If HIPAA policy information is included in a healthcare facility’s website it provides confidence to the patient that the PHI or protected health information will only be used when there is a clinical or business need for the information. By not being able to review the HIPAA policy for a facility on their website I have no idea what their policy is, what steps they use to prevent someone from sharing or accessing my information, or what to do if I think someone has violated my privacy.

Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) - Individually identifiable health information transmitted or maintained in electronic form.

Kate works well within policy of Administrative, DSDS and specific HCBS statues, rules and regulations. She reviews the manuals and autonomously will give appropriate responses. It is valued that she keeps supervision aware of those cases where the decision may be met with opposition. Her use of written policy backs her decisions. Kate has command of the automated systems of FRED, Webtool and Prod to assure participants cases are handled expeditiously. Her training for MFP work has gone well and she has gathered the needed paperwork to proceed with addressing the needs of referred participants as needed. HIPAA policy is adhered to by confirming callers identity with known pedigree data and only sharing information on a need to know professional

HIPAA Breach Notification Rule – Disclosure and investigation of unsecure protected health information (PHI) under the HITECH Act

HIPAA Security Policy: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and the federal “Breach Notification Rule” as amended or added by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”)