Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act

The moment a patient’s information is entered into a healthcare system, they are given patient rights; one of those rights is the right to patient information confidentiality. This right confirms that the patient’s information will only be accessed by care providers, people who are providing reimbursement for care, when information is ordered by the court or if the patient gives written consent for the release of information. The patient is allowed access to view their medical records (Confidentiality, Patients Rights and Responsibilities, 2014). The healthcare team can assist in building a trusting relationship with their patients by ensuring the patients right to privacy. By ensuring a patients right to privacy, this encourages the†¦show more content†¦If HIPAA were inactive, a patient’s health care information could be discussed freely, without any repercussions. With HIPAA, patients can feel at ease when disclosing personal information that can brin g forth judgments, such as, having HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and other infections or diseases that are viewed negatively by society. Under the HIPAA act, information that identifies a person (name, social security number, birthdate and demographic information), as well as, health information and form of payment is considered confidential (Health Information Privacy, 2003). Failing to abide by HIPAA regulations can result in civil and criminal cases. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 established a tiered civil case structure for violation of HIPAA regulations (HIPAA Violations and Enforcement, 2014). Below are the penalties for HIPAA violations when faced with a civil case: HIPAA Violation Minimum Penalty Maximum Penalty Person was unaware they were breaking HIPAA standards. $100 per violation with annual max of $25,000 for repeated violations. $50,000 per violation with annual max of $1.5 million for repeated violations. Violation was because of a reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect. $1,000 per violation with annual max of $100,000 for repeated violations. $50,000 per violation with annual max of $1.5 million for repeated violations Violation was a result of willful neglect. Violation is corrected within the given time period. Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act In August of 1996, Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA. The primary purpose of HIPAA was to protect an individual from losing their health insurance; If they decided to change jobs or have pre-existing conditions. Another purpose of HIPAA was to reduce the costs and administrative burdens of healthcare by creating electronic formats. HIPAA is also used to develop standards and requirements to protect the privacy and security of protected health information. HIPAA consist of five titles. The main two important titles were title I and II. Title I focuses on the health insurance reform. The second title of HIPAA, applies to the Administrative simplifications; in which, includes the electronic transactions and code sets, unique indemnifiers, privacy and security. However, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), was required to issue two separate Regulations referred to as the Privacy Rule and the Security rule. The administrative simplification Provisions of HIPAA required the DHHS to publish standards for electronic exchange, privacy and security of health information. The main goal of the privacy rule was to protect the use and disclosure of an individuals protected health information . The privacy rule began on April 14, 2003. The Office for Civil Rights was responsible for enforcing the privacy rule and the security rule. OCR enforcement activities have obtained significant results thatShow MoreRelatedThe Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Essay1704 Words   |  7 PagesThe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, most commonly known as HIPAA, was passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1996. The purpose of this act was to regulate the privacy of patient health information, lower the cost of health care, as well as to help fix the many pieces of our complicated healthcare system. When switching employers or possibly losing employment, HIPAA secures individuals their health insurance. HIPAA nearly affects all individualsRead MoreThe Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act890 Words   |  4 Pagesinformation. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is Protected Health Information (PHI) that: Relates to a person’s physical or mental health, the provision of health care, or the payment for health care. Identifies the person who is the subject of the information. Is created or received by a covered entity Is transmitted or maintained in any form (paper, electronic, or oral) There are five major components to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) PrivacyRead MoreHealth Insurance Portability And Accountability Act1253 Words   |  6 Pagesgiving information to the healthcare professional and motivates the patient to seek health care when needed (Jessica De Bord, Burke, MD PhD, Dudzinski, PhD MTS, 2013). In 1996, Congress passed an act that enforces the patient’s right to information confidentiality. The act was named, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or for short â€Å"HIPAA†. Not only does HIPAA regulate the protection of patient’s health information, but they work to reduce healthcare fraud and abuse, mandate standardsRead MoreThe Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act1416 Words   |  6 PagesHistory The history of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPA, began in 1996 when a legal mandate was issue by Congress to protect the ethical principles and confidentiality of patient information (Burkhardt Nathaniel, 2014). Prior to this legislation, employees were not protected between jobs. Waste, fraud and abuse in health insurance and healthcare delivery was prevalent. The need to protect the rights of the patient was needed but also the Act contained passages to promoteRead MoreThe Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Essay1267 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is divided into five titles. Title I is health insurance portability, title II is administrative simplification, title III is medical savings accounts and health insurance tax related provisions, title IV is enforcement of group health plan provisions, and title V is revenue offsets. HIPAA affects many features of health care, including providing the privacy rights of patients for release of financial and medical informationRead MoreHealth Insurance Portability And Accountability Act1914 Words   |  8 Pageshave always and will always be behind criminal acts, and new laws are put in place to tackle the every changing technological advancement. Law Review Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) required the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop regulations protecting the privacy and security of certain health information. To fulfill this requirement, HHS publishedRead MoreThe Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act946 Words   |  4 Pagesour own health information, but how is this beneficial to us as patients and healthcare providers? As healthcare is increasingly becoming complex what are ways to enforce these policies and rules? HIPAA rules and standards will need to be the same in each state so there is interoperability the proper way, but will we be able to really accomplish this? This paper will discuss these aspects and ways to overcome these obstacles that are occurring. What is HIPAA? HIPAA also known as the Health InsuranceRead MoreThe Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act1609 Words   |  7 PagesIt has always been the job of health care providers to maintain doctor-patient confidentiality. Not only is it a legal obligation it is also an ethical obligation to many doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants and many other medical staff. Until recently medical records were primarily recorded on paper and stored in cabinets and locked in what was believed as a secure room. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act also known as HIPAA, was passed on August 21, 1996. Although the lawRead MoreHealth Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Essay1382 Words   |  6 Pages Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Final Research Paper Dominique Bracco Healthcare Today (300) Professor Diana December 7, 2016 â€Æ' Abstract The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is divided into five titles. Title I is health insurance portability, Title II is administrative simplification, Title III is medical savings accounts and health insurance tax related provisions, Title IV is enforcement of group health plan provisions, and title V is revenueRead MoreThe Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act768 Words   |  4 Pages/ Mrs. CEO, The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule is the driving force in protecting our patient’s information. We take patient privacy serious and will continue to do so. The following is a summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP). Organizations/facilities that are regulated by the Privacy rule are called entities. Entities play a major part in protecting patient’s health information. Per the Health and Humans Services