HIPAA Meaning in the Healthcare Industry

Introduction

When you visit a doctor for the treatment of any ailment, you expect your doctor and his/her associates to preserve your medical records. You provide information not just regarding your health but other things like your telephone number, address and even your social security number.

Before the advent of computers, this information was stored manually but now it is done so digitally. With so much information available and transferred digitally, it is essential to safeguard the confidentiality and privacy of a patient. This is where HIPAA comes in.

HIPAA Meaning

By definition, the meaning of HIPAA is Health Information Portability and Accountability Act. The Office of Civil Rights of the United States government enforced it and it was enacted in 1996. The meaning of HIPAA in healthcare is that the medical insurance is portable. Employees leaving one job for the other have the right to take their medical insurance. In addition, people have access to the insurance despite having some medical conditions.

The Privacy Rule of HIPAA protects the rights of the patient in the sense that the health information is protected from going into the hands of unauthorized or incompetent personnel.

Who must follow the HIPAA?

As per the meaning of HIPAA, it must be complied with by all the medical providers and those that are transmitting patient information, paying for a patient’s healthcare and those that handle the medical records of a patient. In all, everyone responsible for the information of the patient must follow the rules of HIPAA.

Importance of HIPAA for Healthcare Organizations

The importance of HIPAA for healthcare organizations lies in the fact that they need to educate their employees to handle the patient information carefully. Once the system is in place and complied with, there are no hassles. Moreover, once the standard has been fixed, feeding in information and sharing the vital patient information for better medical care provision becomes easier.

Importance of HIPAA for Patients

HIPAA has proved to be a boon for patients especially those that wish to have more control over their medical reports and records. Despite all the care and precautions taken by healthcare personnel taken while feeding in information, there can be mistakes. Patients are treated and charged as per these reports.

When patients have access to their medical health records they can get the mistakes rectified. Having access to these reports also helps them when they wish to take the services of a new healthcare organization. They will not have to get the tests repeated and the healthcare providers have access to their medical history.

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HIPAA Medical Data Compliance and Privacy

Those who work in an industry that deals with healthcare related data must know about Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). For storing and using medical information, you need to stay HIPAA compliant. Now, first of all, you need to know what HIPAA is and how it affects you.

HIPAA was introduced in the year 1996. The law was created to secure patients’ information, and according to it, the data of patients used for any purpose such as billing must be kept confidential. The medical information provided by the patient in any manner, i.e., oral, paper, or printed or say any health data that can recognize a patient is protected by HIPAA act.

After knowing HIPAA, the next thing you need to know more about is HIPAA compliance and privacy.

Who needs to follow the HIPAA privacy act?

 Everyone who owns a website that makes use of any kind of medical data falls under the act and must be compliant to it. The HIPAA medical data compliance act do not want you to be compliant if you are using small information like the weight of the patients. For example, if you collect weight and height data from visitors to create diet charts, you probably don’t need to be HIPAA compliant. But, if you own a website or APP that keeps the record of medical data of any healthcare provider, you need to follow the compliance act.

What are the consequences if you are not compliant?

Not following a privacy protection law can cost you high. Types of violation including fines and penalties are shown in the following chart:

source: wikipedia.org
Moreover, the violating person can also be sent to jail. The jail punishments range from 1 year to 10 years.

General data protection regulation compliance

According to new privacy laws, you also need to be GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant. You are required to make a list of data stored by your website on visitors. Some more rules also need to be followed, but if you are compliant, there is nothing to worry about.

How to ensure compliance and privacy?

To secure the data, follow the following steps:

1. Use data security and  strong encryption
2. Only a few employees who really need data must be allowed to access the information.
3. Those who can access the data must use complex passwords.
4. Use two-step authentication and e-signatures
5. To avoid a data breach, make the data accessible to the minimum number of people plus don’t discuss the information in front of anyone even orally.
6. In case a data breach occurs, use HIPAA breach notification rules and inform the individuals about it.

Are you using a HIPAA compliant interpreting system and APP?

Be sure to use HIPAA compliant interpreters or an interpreting service company like Languagers.com that provides interpretation via phone, video and on-site.