The portability of individual medical cover and protection of confidential medical information of patients are two primary objectives of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that was passed as a federal law in 1996. Physicians, nurses and other health care providers access the medical reports of patients for the purpose of treatment. These health care providers will need authorization from the patient if the information is to be used for any other purpose other than treatment.

There are various rules and regulations stipulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and these need to be followed by avoiding any violation of the act. Any non compliance of HIPAA will attract very stringent penalties.

What Are The 4 Steps To Be HIPAA Compliant

1. Organizations that are classified as covered entities will need to take adequate steps to safeguard the protected information of patients. The most important step in this direction would be to provide training to employees who will be accessing, storing and transmitting this information electronically. The training program will help them learn about the various provisions of HIPAA and this will help them avoid any violations. These training sessions are usually completed within a couple of hours.

2. Most covered entities have also started appointing compliance officers who would be able to guide them about the various rules and regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. They would be responsible for compliance of HIPAA and help avoid any kind of penalties. Apart from this they would also need to report any violation and take remedial steps to correct it.

3. The protected information of patients will need to be further safeguarded by using passwords and encryption programs. If the medical records are kept in physical form they would need to be kept in a safe and secure place.

4. There should not be any unauthorized access to the protected information of patients and only individuals who are authorized by the covered entities should be able to access the information. This will help prevent misuse and fraud.

Apart from the rules and regulations of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act the covered entities can have their own set of policies and procedures that compliment the act in such a way that it provides additional security measures for safety and security of the protected information.

HIPAA has given greater powers to the patient where they will be able to determine as to who can access their confidential information. They can deny access to their records if they do not trust the organization or individual and cannot be compelled to disclose it.

There are very few circumstances where the protected information of patients can be accessed without their permission. These are very clearly specified in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Apart from these specific reasons patient permission will be needed in all cases other than those for treatment. This will help in preventing any kind of misuse of this information for commercial purposes. It will also help prevent any kind of unauthorized access to it.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certificate website.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certificate website http://www.hipaaexams.com/hipaa-certificate.html

Author Bio: For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certificate website.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: medical cover ,Health Insurance ,HIPAA,HIPAA Protects