It’s simple to find a report with someone misappropriating what HIPAA is, what it really means, and just what it will. Many people incorrectly assume the way it protects their own health records and knowledge from ‘the world at large’. It does safeguard private health information, also it was produced to match quick access to one’s health records, but privacy is nowhere found in the name. And the majority of the confusion centers around who or what’s accountable towards the laws and regulations and rules from the Medical Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA.
Possibly contributing to the confusion may be the similar-sounding Hippocratic Oath, which sounds similar but is typed differently and according to Greek father of drugs, Hippocrates. Not HIPAAcrates, who so far as we all know, is really a nonexistent person. That oath of ethics is taken by physicians once they swear to uphold ethical standards including patient-physician confidentiality and non-maleficence which broadly means “first, don’ harm”, or quite simply this means that it’s important to not harm your patient than to complete them good. This could prevent doctors from testing out an answer with no full research into the situation.
But let’s return to HIPAA. Your protected health information (PHI) is controlled by rules and rules under this law when it comes to covered entities. So then, exactly what is a HIPAA entity? As defined, they’re:
- Health plans
- Healthcare clearinghouses
- Medical service providers who digitally transmit any health information regarding the transactions that HHS has adopted standards
Health Plans
Including medical health insurance companies, HMOs or health maintenance organizations, employer-backed health plans, or government programs that purchase healthcare. Types of this are Medicare, State medicaid programs, and then any military and veteran health programs.
Clearinghouses
Including organizations that has to comply with standards for data content or format (or the other way around) with respect to other organizations simply because they process nonstandard health information. Fundamental essentials “middlemen” between healthcare providers and insurance payers. They look for errors in medical claims.
Medical Service Providers
They submit HIPAA transactions for example claims, digitally. A couple of examples are doctors, psychologists, dentists, and chiropractors. Additionally, it includes nursing facilities and pharmacies.
Work Associates
Also referred to as BA’s, these aren’t covered entities (CE), but when they build relationships a covered entity to handle healthcare activities and processes, they have to possess a written business affiliate contract that establishes the things they like a BA happen to be engaged to complete and they adhere to HIPAA.
So, the thing is, HIPAA doesn’t safeguard you like a citizen from the inquiry to your healthcare information. Otherwise, that activity tracker you use couldn’t collect data, or even the social networking group that supports cancer survivors, as well as the mail-order DNA test could be in breach of HIPAA for simply existing in as our biological forebears presently do.
HIPAA can be rather puzzling but understanding these fundamental concepts of the items it will will help obvious up some confusion. Unsure if you are a HIPAA-covered entity or business affiliate? Searching to make certain you’re submission with HIPAA rules? We are able to help! Call us: https://world wide web.hipaasecurenow.com/contact-us/
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