The Hipaa Privacy Act Although we greatly value our privacy, we have often taken it for granted. Internet and technology advancements have made it more and more difficult to protect. This is precisely why Congress determined that it was time to legislate some privacy guidelines in certain areas. Therefore, in 1996 the HIPAA privacy rules were born.
In 2003 the HIPAA Privacy Act began taking effect. The entities included under this rule were most healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearing houses. The legislation ruled that most of these entities were now going to be required to take measures to protect the privacy of the people they were in business with. Whatever may be termed Protected Health Information (PHI) must be kept private. PHI is a fairly murky term, meaning any information that could possible identify the patient or the history of their health in any way.
This could include:
- The name of the patient
- The social security number of the patient
- The patient's contact information
- Conversations between the Doctor and the patient
- Prescription information
- Billing information
- Health records
- Insurance records
Additionally, the HIPAA Privacy Act states who the PHI can be disclosed to and when. Any time a patient requests to see their own information it must be provided to them within 30 days. There are also instances when PHI will be required to be disclosed by law (such as suspected child abuse cases).Entities may also disclose PHI when attempting to collect payment, provided they have the individual's authorization.
There is a lot that goes into protecting an individual's privacy under the HIPAA Privacy requirements. Every entity would be well advised to choose someone to be a privacy officer. This person should oversee the privacy rules that are set and practiced where they are located. The chosen privacy officer should be responsible for training any and all employees on what is considered to be standard protocol as well as any changes made to procedures. The privacy of the individual should be insured by taking several precautions. Keep in mind that there are things that can be done which are as easy as keeping patient charts closed and out of view from other patients. The only information that staff members should be allowed to access is the information they need to do their job. For example, nurses have no need to see the billing information for a patient they are treating, but another employee would need to see the billing information and not their treatment information. To help stay within the guidelines, require passwords to gain access to private information stored on computers and put locks on any cabinets or rooms containing PHI.
Making sense of the HIPAA Privacy Act can seem like a daunting task. This is why it would be a smart decision to seek help when creating your HIPAA Privacy procedures. The HIPAA Software is a perfect source to get some assistance with creating a manual that is specific to the needs of your entity.
Find more information about HIPAA Privacy in my website.
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