What was hipaa created for

HIPAA sets parameters around the use and distribution of health data. Well, all healthcare entities and organizations that use, store, maintain or transmit patient health information are expected to be in complete compliance with the regulations of the HIPAA law. When completely adhered to, HIPAA regulations not only ensure privacy, reduce fraudulent activity and improve data systems but are estimated to save providers billions of dollars annually.

By knowing of and preventing security risks that could result in major compliance costs, organizations are able to focus on growing their profits instead of fearing these potential audit fines.

HIPAA legislation is ever-evolving and although it may seem complicated and tedious, it is imperative that everyone is in compliance.

Just as one must be aware of every minute part of these HIPAA directives, one must be prepared for change. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. Top of Page. Email Updates. STLT Connection. We specialize in making the transition to an EMR simple and cost-effective for practices of all sizes. Record Nations can help you find a reputable local medical record scanning partner that can handle your project quickly, efficiently and securely.

Let us help you get more organized and eliminate the costs associated with digital paper document management today. The Enforcement Rule specification was, as of , the last part to be finalized in detail. Title I also enables people to carry their insurance from one job to the next. This person will be the one who is ultimately responsible for staying on top of HIPAA requirements and ensuring that the organization is following the law.

Employees need to be kept up to date on policies that pertain to the organization. This may also require ongoing training for the staff. HIPAA requires organizations to safeguard patient data against unauthorized access and disclosure. The modifications to the Security, Privacy, Breach Notification and Enforcement Rules were intended to enhance confidentiality and security in data sharing. The biggest changes under the Omnibus Rule were that it became mandatory for business associates to be compliant with the Privacy Rule and the Security Rules and that these associates were liable directly for any HIPAA violations.

In a way, the Omnibus Rule served to expound and enforce some of the changes introduced in the Security rules and standards requirements for both Covered Entities and Business Associates with the introduction of the BAA requirement. At face value, it appears not much has happened for about 7 years since the passing of the Omnibus Rule back in , however as recently as December , there have been some proposed updates to HIPAA. These proposed changes are being put in place specifically to both increase the accessible patients have to their PHI as well as decrease the administrative burden on the healthcare system itself.

With the recent events of the pandemic , there has been a major increase on the workload of the healthcare industry. Now more than ever it is important to ensure that our PHI is accessible, but by the same token that the infrastructure of our healthcare system is not overburdened by a sea of PHI requests. The proposed changes specifically look to decrease the response time on a healthcare provider fulfilling a PHI request from 30 days to 15 days.

In addition to this, others are interested in increasing the patients' accessibility to their PHI specifically to assist in instances where clients may need assistance that requires the involvement of a family member. Another component to this issue is that CE can charge their patients or customers fees associated with the administrative costs of procuring PHI, however these fees are discretionary and currently not regulated.

While it is important to ensure our healthcare system is not stressed with both the administrative and financial burden that comes with a decreased processing period for PHI requests. While HIPAA has been around for years, it is clear to see that it has changed quite a bit since its original interaction in