Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act: A Case Study
Impact of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
On Health Information Professionals
Renna Damon
Texas A&M University Kingsville
In the early 1990’s the major topics of discussion in regards to healthcare reform were how to provide greater access to healthcare and address major administrative concerns throughout the industry (AMA 2011). Congress created and passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), in 1996 in order to combat multiple issues at once. HIPAA is composed of five titles that were enacted to address multiple issues such as: Health care access; Preventing, fraud, waste and abuse; Administrative simplification; Tax-related health provisions; Group Health Plan Requirements …show more content…
When HIPAA was passed it created a high demand for accountability within the system. HIPAA changed the fraud control structure in two major ways; stiffening and federalizing most laws concerning healthcare fraud, and createing incentives for healthcare organizations to follow the new laws (Hyman, 2002). The accountability changes created by HIPAA resulted in unprecedented numbers of civil and criminal lawsuits, and billions of dollars being transferred between healthcare providers, third party payers, the federal government, and whistle blowers (Hyman, …show more content…
The act contains statues that are very clear and strict on the privacy and confidentiality of healthcare information. The right to privacy is commonly referred to as a patient’s right to be left alone. A patient’s right to privacy is not only protected by HIPAA but also by constitutional, statutory, and common law provisions (McWay, 2008). A major ethical dilemma faced by health information managers is how to protect private patient information. HIPAA’s privacy rule not only defines what type of information is confidential, but also how healthcare professionals need to handle this sensitive information. Information protected by HIPAA contains identifiers. Identifiers are small pieces of personal information by which a person can be recognized such as their name, social security number, date of birth, email address, account numbers, medical record number, and facial photographs. Before any information can be used or disclosed without the direct authorization of the patient, all personal identifiers outlined by HIPAA must be removed from all documentation. Once personal identifiers are removed the information is considered de-identified health information (McWay, 2008). Analysis of de-identified information can be very useful for healthcare providers and third party payers. Information managers must be diligent in protecting all patient information before it can be
On Health Information Professionals
Renna Damon
Texas A&M University Kingsville
In the early 1990’s the major topics of discussion in regards to healthcare reform were how to provide greater access to healthcare and address major administrative concerns throughout the industry (AMA 2011). Congress created and passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), in 1996 in order to combat multiple issues at once. HIPAA is composed of five titles that were enacted to address multiple issues such as: Health care access; Preventing, fraud, waste and abuse; Administrative simplification; Tax-related health provisions; Group Health Plan Requirements …show more content…
When HIPAA was passed it created a high demand for accountability within the system. HIPAA changed the fraud control structure in two major ways; stiffening and federalizing most laws concerning healthcare fraud, and createing incentives for healthcare organizations to follow the new laws (Hyman, 2002). The accountability changes created by HIPAA resulted in unprecedented numbers of civil and criminal lawsuits, and billions of dollars being transferred between healthcare providers, third party payers, the federal government, and whistle blowers (Hyman, …show more content…
The act contains statues that are very clear and strict on the privacy and confidentiality of healthcare information. The right to privacy is commonly referred to as a patient’s right to be left alone. A patient’s right to privacy is not only protected by HIPAA but also by constitutional, statutory, and common law provisions (McWay, 2008). A major ethical dilemma faced by health information managers is how to protect private patient information. HIPAA’s privacy rule not only defines what type of information is confidential, but also how healthcare professionals need to handle this sensitive information. Information protected by HIPAA contains identifiers. Identifiers are small pieces of personal information by which a person can be recognized such as their name, social security number, date of birth, email address, account numbers, medical record number, and facial photographs. Before any information can be used or disclosed without the direct authorization of the patient, all personal identifiers outlined by HIPAA must be removed from all documentation. Once personal identifiers are removed the information is considered de-identified health information (McWay, 2008). Analysis of de-identified information can be very useful for healthcare providers and third party payers. Information managers must be diligent in protecting all patient information before it can be