• Provides the ability to transfer and continue health insurance coverage for millions of American workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs;
• Reduces health care fraud and abuse;
• Mandates industry-wide standards for health care information on electronic billing and other processes; and
• Requires the protection and confidential handling of protected health information Title I: HIPAA Health Insurance Reform
Title I of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs.
HIPAA coverage, complaint origination
HIPAA's rules apply to health-care professionals whose activities trigger the law, such as a psychologist who transmits protected health-care information electronically when submitting health-care claims.
The Enforcement Rule explains that a HIPAA investigation can stem from a complaint made by a patient or other health-care providers. HHS can review a provider's records for HIPAA compliance without a complaint, Nessman says.
According to HHS statistics, almost 19,000 HIPAA privacy compliance complaints had been filed as of March 31, with 72 percent of those cases resolved or otherwise closed. The agency started accepting complaints in April 2003, and so far, private health-care practices rank first in generating complaints.
The allegation most frequently raised is the impermissable use or disclosure of an individual's indentifiable health information.
The rule explains that besides being liable for their own actions, health-care providers can be liable for HIPAA violations from the actions of people working under their direction, including paid employees, trainees and volunteers.
Liability under HIPAA can also stem from the actions of business