What 4 Things You Need to Know About HIPAA Certification

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) were enacted in 1996 towards the protection of employee health insurance treatment and establish regulations for health information in electronic medical records. If you are employed in the health or insurance industry, you have likely heard of HIPAA because it affects you directly. Even if you are not employed in a health or insurance industry, HIPAA affects everyone who accesses or needs access to health care and it is important to understand to protect your personal privacy and rights. Any identifiable personal health information (PHI) is addressed and protected by HIPAA.
The part of HIPAA that affects most of the population directly is the regulations on the privacy of health information. The Administrative Simplification provisions are the part of HIPAA that address health information security and privacy. When healthcare workers are given HIPAA training, this is the area they typically focus on most of the time because they come in direct contact with patient information on a daily basis. As a citizen, here are some things you should know about HIPAA and how it affects your health information:
• HIPAA gives the power and decision of privacy completely to the patient. With the HIPAA regulations in place, patients can decide who has access to their medical records and for what purpose they use them for. If you have visited a health professional in the last few years, they often have you sign a disclaimer giving the doctor Chemotherapy Process and staff access to your medical records for the purpose of treating you. Pay attention to any forms given to you about your information because some will address using your information for marketing purposes. It is your right under HIPAA to decide whether or not you want your information released and used for marketing purposes.
• Under HIPAA regulations, healthcare providers are required to provide you with your medical records upon request. Having a copy of your medical records can be useful for switching Most Nutritious Food In The World doctors, safety reasons, and for personal information and peace of mind. If any healthcare provider denies you access to your medical records you can take legal action.
• The only time a healthcare provider or insurance company can access your PHI without expressed written consent is for use in treatment and payment. Any use of your PHI outside of that scope requires written consent from the patient. Once you have given your written consent for certain use of your PHI, that entity no longer needs to notify you each time they use your PHI in the agreed upon fashion.
• Healthcare providers, insurance, and any other entities with access to your records is required by HIPAA to inform you of any use of your PHI. If you are made aware of any of your PHI or medical records being used without notification or consent, you can take legal action.
To keep yourself protected, it is important to know all you can about HIPAA and your rights concerning your PHI. If you find yourself having questions, ask you healthcare provider directly about how they plan to use your PHI and medical records.