The HIPAA Act is a federal privacy law that was created in 2013. It provides essential information about individuals’ rights regarding their healthcare information. It was designed to allow workers to carry their healthcare insurance rights between jobs. However, it was expanded to include other provisions later on.
The 115-page document that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has created for implementing the HIPAA Act has been combined into one. The goal of the HIPAA Act was to improve the efficiency of healthcare by protecting the sensitive information of individuals.
The HHS has created various standards to make sure all healthcare organizations follow the same rules regarding handling patient information. These rules include establishing a uniform code and identifiers for electronic transactions.
HIPAA Simplified History
The timeline of the HIPAA Act and the implementation of the Simplification Rules are meant to help Congress improve the efficiency of the healthcare system. The gap between the two was due to the expiration of a congressional option.
Who Does HIPAA Cover?
Before implementing the HIPAA Act, it’s essential to understand that all healthcare organizations that handle patient information are considered covered by the Act. This includes the providers of health plans, hospitals, and pharmacies that issue and promote Medicare drug discount cards.
The Act also covers business associates. These individuals act as consultants or employees who handle protected health information for covered entities. Before they work on behalf of an organization, an associate must sign an associate business agreement.
A grey area exists between the requirements of the Act and the nature of self-insured employer group health plans and their intermediaries. Although these groups are not considered covered entities, they are still subject to the same regulations as other covered organizations.
New Tech to Increase HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules
Due to the advancements in technology, it is becoming easier to comply with the Privacy and Security Rules of the HIPAA rules. Web filtering is a great tool to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. It can detect and remove various types of harmful software that can steal usernames and passwords. Secure email archiving can help improve the security of email.