The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was approved as a federal law in 1996 and is very vital to the entire healthcare industry. HIPAA is an important act that serves to protect employers and patients. HIPAA contains two titles. Title I protects the health insurance coverage for employees and their families. The second title which is called the Administrative Simplification makes sure that the information of employees and their families is protected and not made public unless required by law.

HIPAA includes a set of guidelines for the privacy and security of patient information. All the covered entities such as health care providers, insurance companies, etc. who handle sensitive patient information are bound to follow these rules set by HIPAA. It is the responsibility of the entities as a whole as well as the employees to make sure that these guidelines are followed.

There are mainly 5 HIPAA rules that employers need to follow. They are cited below:

– The employers in the covered organizations need to provide training for all their employees who deal with patient information and medical records on a daily basis. The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act requires you to do this as it aims to protect the patient’s confidential information. This training can either be of the classroom-type or can also be done online.

– In case a person is known to have a pre-existing medical condition, the employers must not differentiate against him. Even in the event of a person changing or losing his job, he and his family must be given medical coverage continuously.

– It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure that all his employees are following the privacy and security rules laid down by HIPAA. The organization must make sure that all electronic machines that contain patient information are protected by passwords.

– All individuals that are included in the health insurance plan will need to be intimidated by the employer regarding the privacy rules. If there are any changes made to these rules employer must notify all the necessary individuals.

– It is essential to place proper safeguards at different levels to avoid any misuse or abuse of confidential patient information. The organizations need to make sure that all their electronic devices are password protected and the password should be provided only to limited employees.

Once the employers follow these HIPAA rules any sort of violation can be easily avoided. Most healthcare providers have certain policies and procedures that enable them to comply with the HIPAA guidelines. The organizations will also have internal safeguards so that unauthorized access to the patient information is prevented and immediate notification is given in case of misuse. These organizations and covered entities store all patient information not only in the electronic format but also on paper as medical records. These medical records will need to be stored in a safe and secure location with safeguards in place. Access to these records must be restricted and every time they are accessed a written statement must be recorded for future use.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA website.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA website http://www.hipaaexams.com

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Category: Advice
Keywords: HIPAA,Health Insurance ,health information,medical data