Why Is Hipaa Important

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

They know their health care will not be public information for anyone to see and if it is there will be consequences. Violations of HIPPA are punishable by law on state and federal levels, depending on the violation. An example is, if the individual did not know that he/she violated HIPAA, the punishment can be a minimum of $100 per violation, with an annual maximum of $25,000 for repeat violations. Maximum would be $50,000 per violation, with an annual maximum of $1.5 million. A more severe violation such as a HIPAA violation is due to willful neglect and is not corrected, minimum of $50,000 per violation, with an annual maximum of $1.5 million and a maximum of $50,000 per violation, with an annual maximum of $1.5

. HIPAA privacy rules are complicated and extensive, and set forth guidelines to be followed by health care providers and other covered entities such as insurance carriers and by consumers. HIPAA is very specific in its requirements regarding the release of information, but is not as specific when it comes to the manner in which training and policies are developed and delivered within the health care industry. This paper will discuss how HIPAA affects a patient's access to their medical records, how and under what circumstances personal health information can be released to other entities for purposes

The penalties for violating the rules dictating by HIPAA are complicated because the guidelines are still very broad and the rules are still so new that with each case new standards are being set as to the way violations are being handled. Violation of HIPAA rules can result in civil and criminal consequences. There is case that marked history as the first health care organization to be fined for a HIPAA violation. Cignet Health in Maryland was fined $4.3 million for two violations: failure to provide patients a copy of their medical records within 60 days of a request and failure to cooperate with civil investigators. “HIPAA calls for civil and criminal penalties for privacy and security violations, including: -- fines up to $25K for multiple violations of the same standard in a calendar year -

Under the HIPAA compliance audit program if a healthcare organization has attested and is later audited and found not to be compliant with HIPAA, the organization could face penalties including giving back the meaningful use incentive money. (Goedert, 2013) provided the following ways to ensure compliance: conduct mock audits, make sure all data within the organization is encrypted, computer access is logged, network security gaps have been filled, policies and regulations have been updated and expanded, and most importantly that all staff complete annual HIPAA training courses with emphasis on privacy and security.

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.

What are HIPAA rights? Knowing your rights can be useful. It’s important to know them so that if you ever feel like something isn’t correct, you know how you can act on it. One of your rights as a healthcare consumer is that you can ask to request or see a copy of your medical records or any other health information at any time (hhs.gov/cosumer rights). You are also allowed to change or correct any information in your files that you believe are wrong. This means that if there is something in your file, like a test result that you disagree on, even if the hospital doesn’t, they have to make note of that in your file. You can also see who has accessed and seen your health information. It is your right to ask for your information to not to be shared with certain doctors, nurses, or certain individuals or organizations (hhs.gov/cosumer rights). HIPAA also allows you to allow someone to speak on your behalf. If

Thesis: Three things that every patient should new about HIPAA; what is HIPAA, Privacy regulations, and sanctions of violations

If one violates one’s privacy they are looking at very costly civil violations. For unknowing violations, one’s privacy, you will owe $100 per violation and $25,000 for a repeat violation. For violation HIPAA for a reasonable cause, it is $1,000 per violation with $100,000 for repeat violations. As for willful neglect but the violation is corrected within a certain time period it is $10,000 per violation with $250,000 for a repeat violation. Lastly, someone could owe $50,000 per violation and up to a maximum of $1.5 million for a repeat violation that is not corrected within the required time period (Brown,2014). As if that doesn’t seem to get any worse someone is also looking to facing criminal penalties when violating these laws. For individuals who knowingly violate HIPAA laws they can face up to a year of imprisonment. With someone who has the intentions to sell someone’s information to another individual can face up to ten years in prison (Brown, 2014). When starting a job in a hospital all employees are required to sign their understanding of the HIPAA laws for that hospital. Many hospitals require certain training and in-services to provide understanding of the laws and its importance in the hospital setting. If HIPAA is violated most hospitals let the employee know in the paperwork that they sign that they will be terminated immediately.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was created to protect the personal and medical information of a patient obtaining medical treatment. HIPAA came into effect in 1996 and it was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, after approval by congress. The HIPAA covers personal information such as name, date of birth, address, etc. Results of tests, diagnosis and treatments for ailments are also covered under HIPAA. A persons protected health information can be divulged if express permission is given by the person that the protected information pertains to. There are exceptions for permission to divulge information which can include an investigation of a crime, suspected cases of child abuse or other law enforcement purposes as required by law. Protected health information (PHI) can be disclosed in aiding treatment or payment for a service. Title II of the health insurance portability and accountability (HIPAA) establishes the rules of compliance for electronic processing of transmissions, disclosure of PHI ( Protected Health Information), or the

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is also known as Public Law 104-191 and HIPAA. The law was passed in 1996 by the United States Congress after a wide number of patients complained about not being able to pay premiums to the same insurance company after changing jobs. Once the law was passed, Congress thought to improve the effectiveness of the health care system by improving standards of privacy and protecting patients and physicians from lawsuits. Two examples of HIPAA is not releasing information out, whether it is intentional or unintentional unless your patient gave written consent releasing their personal information out, even if it is to their spouse or child – it is against the law. Negligence is another example of peoples HIPAA violation. Medical staff being so busy that they do not put away files or turn computers off, it becomes a violation of HIPAA because that information is no longer confidential but left out for everyone to view.

Other forms are taking video or audio, also speaking about the patient to other people who are directly involved in that patient medical care. One most common form of HIPAA violation today are posting in social media pictures and recording a patient endure information regarding health care.

Whenever any healthcare personal violates the HIPAA policy the punishments can be minor to server. The individual who bleaches privacy of any medical records the punishment can be verbal warning without further punishment the individual doesn’t violates the rules and regulation. If the individual in question violates the rule or regulation the individual can be place on probation, suspended without pay until further notice. Some one can be signed to look over you and check out all what you do on regular basic as you work. If you have authorization for high level clearance documents, it would be stripe from whoever violated the rules and regulations.

If Kaiser Permanente did not take steps to quickly resolve the issues within the group and organization they might face a HIPAA violation. HIPAA Violators can be sentenced for up to 10 years in prison and fined up to $250,000 in criminal penalties for failure to comply. In addition, civil penalties can be imposed that include $100 per violation and up to $25,000 per person, per year for each violation (DMA.org, 2002).

HIPAA was put in place to help set standards on protecting a patients personal health information, therefore HIPAA does affect a patient’s access to medical records. A patient can review or obtain a copy of their records by submitting, to the physician (covered entity), a request for such in writing or a medical release form. In which case the covered entity can release a “designated record set” of certain personal