HIPAA Compliance And Violations: What Are They? President Bill Clinton signed the Health Care Portability and Transparency Act in 1996. It is a statute that provides for safeguards and safety of data in order to keep health data secure for patients.
The Act of five sections:
Section 1
For those who have changed or lost their jobs, protects health care benefits. Moreover, it prohibits group insurance programs from refusing to compensate people with illnesses or disabilities that already exist and prevents them from imposing living limits.
Section 2
Gives direction on electronic health transactions throughout the United States to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It allows the organizations, which follow the privacy legislation laying down by the HHS, to enforce secure, electronic access to patient health records.
Section 3
Certainly, it concerns tax-related requirements and general recommendations regarding medical treatment.
Section 4
Further, defines another health care overhaul, with protections for people with pre-existing illnesses or disabilities and those requiring permanent coverage.
Section 5
This requires clauses pertaining to insurance undertakings, and treatment for income tax purposes for those who lose their citizenship.
HIPAA Administrative Simplification’ clause.
As far as IT is concerned, compliance with HIPAA means compliance with Title II. It often refers to as ‘HIPAA Administrative Simplification’ clause.
Identifier Norm for National Provider:
Requires each individual health care agency such as employers, individuals, healthcare professionals, and health plans to have a single 10-digit ID. The NPI (National Provider Identifier).
Standards for transfers and codes:
Allows companies to follow the normal collection or filing of insurance claims for EDI (electronic data interchange).
Law on the secrecy of HIPAA:
Sets domestic standards to protect health information for patients and ensures secure information that can be personally identified.
The safety law for HIPAA:
Sets guidelines on computer protection for patients.
HIPAA Implementation Rule:
Sets instructions on the investigation of HIPAA infringements.
The HIPAA Omnibus Rules
The HIPAA Omnibus Rules were adopted by HHS in 2013. Further, in compliance with some requirements laid down in the HITECH Act in 2009. In order to incorporate a couple of changes to its previous version. The responsibility of business partners of the companies protected mainly rests with them. Moreover, this regulation further changes the fines for HIPAA breaches, to a limit of $1.5 million per event.
For a healthcare company, HIPAA breaches can be very expensive. Firstly, the omnibus-dependent rule on violation notification allows all protected agencies and all organization associates to inform patients of an infringement of the records. Besides these expenses, following investigations carried out by the Office of Civil Rights, organisations can even face fines (OCR). Suppliers can also be punished with violations of certain laws.
HIPAA training programs
Through practicing in HIPAA training programs, companies can reduce the possibility of regulatory action. Besides, the OCR delivers a total of six services intended to instruct workers on the rules on security and privacy. Further, many other courses and consultancies still offer services. Providers may also establish their own services covering other fields, such as HIPAA’s existing regulations. Besides, the HITECH Act and mobile device management processes, and some other related guidance.
There is no formal HIPAA certification scheme, but several training companies have certificates that demonstrate the knowledge of the guidelines and regulations defined by the Act.
