The HIPAA Privacy Rule

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.

The main goal of HIPAA is to protect unauthorized access and misuse of confidential health information. It allows for the safe storage of any health facts used, collected, transmitted or maintained by any health organization. It states that all health information about a particular client is completely confidential, regardless of what the format is and whether it is transmitted, maintained or collected. Protected information is that health information that already identifies the patient or could be used in order to identify the patient; it also relates to any of the patient’s past, present or future health conditions, any treatment the patient receives and any payment the patient makes toward their care.

In the unit where Andrew is located there is a white board the staff use. It lists Andrews name, diagnosis, room number, and important activities for the shift. How might this be a HIPPA violation or confidentiality issue?

Specific Purpose: I want to inform my audience about HIPAA “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act”.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act also known as HIPAA was first signed into law on the federal level in 1996. Since it was signed into law it has had a huge effect on patient’s privacy, healthcare workers and even insurance company’s. “HIPAA is intended to improve efficiency throughout health care and requires that health care providers adhere to standardized national privacy and confidentiality protections.” (OMA p .236). It’s an invaluable tool that has created a standard of compliance across the healthcare field.

According to Michael Moore,” health care should be between the doctor and the patient. If the doctor says something needs to be done, the government should guarantee it gets paid for.” I strongly agree with Michael Moore’s statement about how health care needs to be confidential. If anything should be done, then the federal government are the ones to offer it. Health information is to help doctors understand their patient’s medical issues, but there are some cases where patient’s medical records are shared with unknown people. Can medical facilities trust their employees with the health information of a patient?

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

While I understand the need for both, I think that Congress should make HIPAA the law of the land with regards to medical privacy. Every individual’s rights and information should have the same level of protection no matter where in the United States they are located. Not only would a universal law help to eliminate the confusion between states, it would also remove a few of the barriers associated with universal healthcare. With better communication across state lines, patients will be able to send and receive information in a timely manner improving patient outcomes and quality.

The right to receive a notice of privacy practices - Patients have the right to receive a notice explaining how a provider or health plan uses and discloses their health information.

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

Another law and regulation currently faced by the Center for Disease Control is Health Information Privacy (HIPAA). "The HIPAA Privacy Rule provides federal protections for personal health information held by covered entities and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that information" (US Department of Health and Human Services). All of us believe our medical and other health information is private. Most of us believe our health information should be protected. We want to know who has that information. The privacy gives a person rights over his health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at it. This is a federal law. Health plans and most health care providers must follow these laws. There are organizations that do not have to follow the Privacy and Security Rules. Those organizations include life insurers, employers, many schools, school districts, and many law enforcement agencies. Other organizations are included.

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services published a bulletin on September 2, 2005 that addressed “HIPAA privacy and disclosures in emergency situations” (Department of Health & Human Services [DHHS], 2005, p. 1). According to this bulletin, patient information can be shared in emergency situations to provide treatment. Information may also be shared if it is necessary to “identify, locate and notify family members, guardians, or anyone else responsible for the individual’s care of the individual’s location, general condition, or death” (DHHS, 2005, p. 1). Finally, information may be shared if the patient is found to be in imminent danger or if the individual has agreed to be included in the facility directory

With the healthcare that have changed as a result of the Hipaa privacy law, rules, and regulations. Hipaa privacy law is to protect the patient health records, and Privacy, governing access, use, and disclosure. With the privacy rule protection consistent set of standards affecting the providers, health plans. With noncompliance or penalties want to contact the authority, law enforcement.

HIPPA is a rule that helps protects a patient’s privacy when it comes to their health or medical information. It is also known as a security rule that helps in protecting electronic health information as well. As in the health care patient safety and confidentiality is an important rule to follow at all times. A standard of HIPPA is privacy. When it comes to privacy it is meant by protecting a patient’s medical information in any form needs to be controlled at all times. It is a rule that is balanced and used to protect the disclosure of the patient’s health information that is needed for patient care and treatment. It is important that any person working in the health care setting is aware of this rule as it is important to follow when