...Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act “HIPAA” Cheryl Pierce Murray State University HCA405 November 19, 2014 When you walk into a doctor’s office or other medical facility, you have the assumption and expectation that things discussed between you and your healthcare provider will remain confidential. You might even sign papers that contain information about how you wish for your information to be disclosed. What you might not know is that this is a result of a large and broad federal law that hasn’t always been present. In the past, patients were unable to have a clear understanding of what can and cannot be discussed after consultation with medical professionals. This led to withholding important information, which could hinder their treatment and recovery. Medical records were not always kept confidential prior to HIPAA being enacted and enforced, and with the rules now in place, patients now have an understanding that their health information will remain private. American society places a high value on individual rights, personal choice, and a private sphere protected from intrusion. Medical records can include some of the most intimate details about a person’s life. They document a patient’s physical and mental health, and can include information on social behaviors, personal relationships, and financial status (Gostin and Hodge, 2002). The shift of medical records from paper to electronic formats has increased the potential for individuals to access...
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...HSM 230 HSM Law Profile Paper Axia College – University of Phoenix Your Name:…………… HIPAA LAW PROFILE At present, the human service industry is undergoing fundamental changes due to the rapid implementation of information technology solutions. These changes are due to, the growing challenges of regulatory burdens, to reduce company costs, and increase in patient care or clients. Today, most businesses use information technology solutions that include programs such as, computerized order entry for physicians, electronic claims processing, and electronic medical records. The need for this new technology in the human service sector is tremendous. In order to be successful, all human service providers are subject to a regulatory framework, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which was signed on 21st of August, 1996 by the U.S President Bill Clinton. In very basic terms, HIPAA has two primary components to which hospitals, health plans, and healthcare. Anyone who transmits health information electronically must be in full compliance with the HIPPA Law. Consequently, healthcare providers and IT solutions providers are responsible for understanding HIPPA rules and regulations (Information Technology Association of America, 2004). "Clearinghouses," and healthcare providers must conform: Administrative simplification, which calls for use of the same computer language industry-wide; Privacy protection, which requires healthcare providers...
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...Administrative Ethics Paper Alyssa Jane Marie Cunningham HCS/335 January 16, 2011 Sonja Allen Administrative Ethics Paper When developing an effective strategy and rewards compensation plan one must produce a policy that executes the plan successfully. The Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws allows the human resources professionals to hire the high qualified staff by selecting the right candidates for interviews, and giving the best job offers without discriminating against any candidates. Affirmative Action prevents discrimination among race, creed, religion, and sex. According to State of South Carolina (2009), “Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic approach to eliminate the current and lingering effects of prior discrimination. It is a race and sex conscious effort to achieve equal employment opportunity for all race sex groups in a workforce” (p. 1). According to the United States Department of Labor (2009), “The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) prohibits specific types of job discrimination in certain workplaces. EEOC is an independent federal agency that promotes equal opportunity in employment through administrative and judicial enforcement of the federal civil rights laws and through education and technical assistance. EEOC protects applicants and employees of many private employers, state and local governments, educational institutions, employment agencies...
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...Administrative Ethics Paper Shannon Carpenter HCS/335 February 16, 2015 Administrative Ethics Paper When developing an effective strategy and rewards compensation plan one must produce a policy that executes the plan successfully. The Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws allows the human resources professionals to hire the high qualified staff by selecting the right candidates for interviews, and giving the best job offers without discriminating against any candidates. Affirmative Action prevents discrimination among race, creed, religion, and sex. According to State of South Carolina (2009), “Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic approach to eliminate the current and lingering effects of prior discrimination. It is a race and sex conscious effort to achieve equal employment opportunity for all race sex groups in a workforce” (p. 1). According to the United States Department of Labor (2009), “The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) prohibits specific types of job discrimination in certain workplaces. EEOC is an independent federal agency that promotes equal opportunity in employment through administrative and judicial enforcement of the federal civil rights laws and through education and technical assistance. EEOC protects applicants and employees of many private employers, state and local governments, educational institutions, employment agencies, and labor organizations...
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...storage and destruction of both paper and the electronic health records based on the Florida state regulations, the Medicare participation conditions and the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act). Among the common criteria required in the in the Medicare participation conditions is the provision of a medical record service that caters for the patient’s medical record. In this policy, the health information is put in electronic documents in the Apex Patient folder. The Willow Bend Policy is in line with the HIPAA. It maintains the converted paper health records into electronic health records maintained in an area that is safe and secure. This is because the HIPAA requires that the patient information is stored with confidentiality. The privacy provisions that include the security provision are also stated in the HIPAA Administrative Simplification provisions. This is so that the patient health information (PHI) is safely stored and its transmission and usage is done properly. The HIPAA privacy rule sets conditions that aim at protecting the health information which to be used and disclosed for the purpose of research. It also protects the rights for discharged patients to acquire their own information held by the covered entities. This Policy thus helps in maintaining the privacy and confidentiality that is required by the HIPAA (United States, 2004). Based on the state regulations of Florida, there is a law that requires the health care providers...
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...HIPPA Joe Smith Independence University HCA 542A Mod 11:2011 8wk-online Final Paper October 10, 2011 HIPPA This paper will begin with a brief background and history on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Following the background will be details about issues that are address within the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The purpose of this paper is to provide a foundation with providing some information about HIPAA. Background The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by Congress in 1996 in response to several issues facing health care coverage, privacy, security and fraud in the United States (ALL THINGS MEDICAL BILLING, 2011, para. 2). Before HIPAA, rules and regulations varied by state, there was no real consistency. Also, there was confusion as to which regulations were applicable and to whom. Did the rules apply in the states where the organization was doing business or where the organization was based? There was also no uniformity between state and federal requirements (ALL THINGS MEDICAL BILLING, 2011, para. 3). With regard to privacy, there were numerous uncoordinated federal acts which addressed privacy in some form. Prior to HIPAA, there was no standard authority for enforcement of fraud and abuse that applied to state and federal health care programs (ALL THINGS MEDICAL BILLING, 2011, para. 4). Congress recognized the increased use...
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...How HIPPAA Violations Affect the Medical Billing Process, Part Two Amber Padgett HCR/220 October 19, 2014 Felecia Pettit-Wallace The purpose of this paper is to relate to ways that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations may affect the medical billing process. While researching, the findings conclude that confidentiality of health information was adopted centuries ago. The findings of the research show that although, HIPAA laws have been put into place to protect the privacy and confidential heath information of patients; HIPAA laws are sometimes violated. The medical billing coders are sometimes careless when handling confidential information; however medical health records should be protected adequately. The coder that violates the HIPAA laws concerning the confidentiality and privacy of patient health information can suffer serious ramifications. The ramifications of these violations could result in serious penalties such as disciplinary actions by the employer, monetary fines, and jail time, or both. HIPAA violations ranks number one among the complaints received by the Office of Civil Rights each year. Humans take pleasure in the right to privacy in every aspect of life. The right of protecting the confidentiality and privacy of identifiable personal health information takes first priority and is greatly cherished among most. The Hippocratic Oath, dating back centuries required physicians to keep medical information concerning...
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...Administrative Ethics Paper By William Keyser HCS/335 4-26-11 Susan Morgan When developing an effective strategy and rewards compensation plan one must produce a policy that executes the plan successfully. The Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws allows the human resources professionals to hire the high qualified staff by selecting the right candidates for interviews, and giving the best job offers without discriminating against any candidates. Affirmative Action prevents discrimination among race, creed, religion, and sex. According to State of South Carolina (2009), “Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic approach to eliminate the current and lingering effects of prior discrimination. It is a race and sex conscious effort to achieve equal employment opportunity for all race sex groups in a workforce. Then with the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) it prohibits specific types of job discrimination in certain workplaces, and they are a independent federal...
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...privacy and what are the regulatory ramifications in the US on EMR implementation?” Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW ANALYSIS I. MEDICAL RECORDS THEN AND NOW A. Paper-Based Medical Records VS. Electronic Medical Records B. Benefits, Potential Problems and Cost of the EMR II. HEALTH CARE PRIVACY LAW A. HIPAA 1.What is HIPAA? 2. HIPPA Privacy & Security B. HIPAA and EMR III. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO PROTECT PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY/ PRIVACY? A. Why Should Patient Privacy Be Afforded Privacy Protection Regulation? B. Patient Privacy Within EMR IV. SPANNING THE MILES Intranet & Extranet Software & IM/IT CONCLUSION GLOSSARY REFERENCES Introduction: Healthcare companies all over the world are slowly recognizing the benefits on an EMR. Although EMR’s were implemented over 30 years ago but as of 2006 fewer than 10% of hospitals were utilizing the system. In 2009 the he U.S. Department of Health and Human Services enacted a privacy rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in an attempt to protect the privacy of patients medical records. But one question still arises; “Does the EMR actually protect patient privacy and what are the regulatory ramifications in the US on EMR implementation?” In this paper I will address EMR, patient privacy and the regulatory ramifications of EMR implementation. Literature Review The literature shows that there is still a lot of concern with how functional...
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...Administrative Ethics Administrative ethics is essential to developing a rewarding compensation plan that produces strategies within a policy effectively to execute a plan successfully within an organization. An example of this is the Affirmative Action of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). In this paper the reading will discuss EEO and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and the impact it has on the population as a whole, it is meant to protect the general public, promote the common good when dealing with health care and review arguments used to support solutions as well as review ethical, and legal issues that need to be reported regarding administrative issues. I will also address managerial responsibilities related to administrative ethical issues as well as identify a proposed solution. The EEO according to the Unites States Department of Labor (2009) is an independent federal agency that was developed to promote equal opportunity within an organization through administrative and judicial enforcement of federal civil rights laws through technical assistance as well as education to the working public on how to utilize the program. EEO laws were also created to allow Human Resources (HR) professionals the ability to hire qualified staff members through the process of conducting in depth interviews of applicants before selecting the best qualified individual to fit the job requirements without discriminating any possible candidates that...
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...Administrative Ethics Paper When creating effective strategy and rewards compensation programs one must ensure that the policy established executes the plan well. The EEO or Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action laws give authorization for Human Resources representative to hire the best-qualified staff by selecting the finest candidates for interviews, and make a job offer without discriminating against any candidates. Affirmative Action assists in elevating discrimination among race, creed, religion, and sex. Based off the State of South Carolina (2009), “Affirmative action is an effort to create a logical approach to remove the current and lingering effects of prior discrimination. This is an ethnic and sex conscious effort to achieve equal employment opportunities for every person regardless of race and sex group in a workforce” (p.1). The United States Department of Labor (2009), reports “The Equal Employment Opportunity forbids specific kinds of job discrimination in certain workplaces. EEOC also known as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal organization that promotes equal opportunity jobs through administrative and at times judicial enforcement of civil rights laws and technical help. The EEOC division helps protect applicants and some employees of private employers to include state and local governments, education institutions, and labor organizations (p 2.). The HR Guide, (2009) references Disparate Treatment in...
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...HSM Law Profile Paper Shamekia Smith HSM230 Rachel Smith HSM Law Profile Paper HIPAA LEGAL SUMMARY The use of Information technology now allows human service organizations to more efficiently keep track of high priority information on clients, costs, and regulations. Years ago this information was kept by hand in ledgers. Nowadays client numbers, costs, and regulations have increased astronomically. As such information technology is the only way to keep track. There are a plethora of IT solutions for human service organizations. Out of the box solutions typically contain applications that record physician orders and keep track of claims and medical record information. Modern day regulation sets are complex and the need to keep track of these is extremely important. A good example of a large and complex regulation set is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act (HIPAA) which was put into law in 1996 by president, Bill Clinton. HIPAA has multiple facets. However the most important is that it sets rules on how to properly communicate medical data. Individuals, groups, or organizations that need to transfer medical data must do so according to HIPAA rules. As such administrators of health service organizations as well as IT professionals must understand the rules (Information Technology Association of America, 2004). The two most important components of HIPAA are simplification and privacy. Simplification...
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...Health Law and Regulations Overview This paper discusses the design of regulation agencies and the roles that they play in health care. There will also be a discussion on the current laws that health care face today, and an analysis on how these laws affect the hospital, clinic or insurer. This paper also includes how the population has little access to health care and an understanding of how HIPPA works and the role that it plays in the health care field. Healthcare The purpose of regulations is the constant need to balance the objectives of enhancing the quality, expanding access, and controlling costs in healthcare. Regulation plays a major role in the healthcare industry and healthcare insurance coverage. Through various regulatory bodies, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) protects the public from a number of health risks and provides programs for public health and welfare. Together, these regulatory agencies protect and regulate public health at every level ( Fierce Healthcare, 2014, para. 1). When it comes to health care there are many agencies that play a role in the management of the health care industry such as, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) which deals with most of the regulations that deal directly to the healthcare system, they also “provides government subsidized medical coverage through a number of programs: Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children’s Health Insurance program (SCHIP)” (Fierce Healthcare, 2014, para. 2). Health...
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...HSM Law Profile Paper Sandie Hood University Of Phoenix A current law that impacts the delivery of human service is the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act. HIPAA is an acronym for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA is a law, which protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The HIPAA has rules and standards that help keep a patient‘s information private and safe. What reliable resources are available to learn about the implications of this law? Many reliable resources are available to help one learn more about this law. One can go to the HIPAA or the Human services website and find information on this law. One needs to know how to understand the health information. HIPAA provides a federal protection about patients information help by covered entities and gives patient’s the rights and respect to the information. Administrative, physical, and technical safeguards covered entities to ensure that the confidentiality, integrity of the patient health information is protected. The covered entities are one’s local doctor offices, clinics, dentist, pharmacies, chiropractors, and Nursing Homes. The purpose or rationale of this law is to improve efficiency in health care delivery, protection of confidentiality, and security of health information by setting and enforcing standards. This helps to keep the patient...
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...Confidentiality HIPAA which is health insurance portability and accountability act was original put in place in 2003 to help provide patients medical records to be protected, and to keep this information away from anyone except whom the patient want to have that information. Once HIPAA became the privacy law, the government had to produce a way for patient’s medical records to be safe and stay safe and confidential. This means electronically as well as the paper trail. Medical facilities had to devise a way to keep their medical records from computer hackers as well as make sure their system do not become infected with any viruses or malfunction. Even after HIPAA was put into effect, there were still the paper trail that medical offices had to make sure their files was kept locked and only certain people had access to it. The issues of today are maintaining patient’s privacy records and ethical considerations for the privacy sensitive health related materials. The main issue is the concern for keeping patients private information protected. The impact of this private information contains such information as social security numbers, birthdays, and drivers’ license as well as any other information that is involved in the patient’s medical records. The impact on the population is that basically anyone’s identity could be stolen, once this information has gotten out to the general public. While identity theft is a big issue, another big issue is that patient’s private medical information...
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