The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act passed and were signed into law on August 21, 1996. It affects the medical facility and its day to day operations; in many different ways. HIPAA sets higher standard of operation for healthcare workers and the facilities. "HIPAA was instituted to "improve the portability and continuity of health insurance coverage; to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and healthcare delivery; to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long term care services and coverage; to simplify the administration of health insurance; and to serve other purposes" (Kinn’s, 2011).
Medical facilities have to follow certain guidelines. They have to insure patient’s privacy in all areas. The medical facility has to protect the patient medical records and all healthcare information for the patient. If paper files are still in use at the medical facility, it should be stored, where it can be locked at close of business. Also, medical files should not be kept where individuals, other than those that need to use them, have access to them. Electronic medical records are being pushed for all facilities, large or small. The thought is less chance of someone having access that should not. There are firewalls, password use, encryption and other means of protecting electronic health records.
Under HIPAA, hard copy medical records are not to be disposed of in the trash but by shredding. Most facilities use a company that picks up paperwork to be shredded. Medical records should not be left on the copier or fax machine where someone that should not have access could read it. All fax sent, should have a disclaimer attached at the top or bottom, stating that if ...
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...lso to “lower administrative cost; increase accuracy of data; increase patient and consumer satisfaction; reduce revenue cycle time; and improve financial management. HIPAA promotes computer to computer connections from one facility to another. This allows for transfer of health information electronically. This reduces paper files or the possibility of documents being lost in transit. Providers and employers will have unique identifiers for each patient. The bottom line is patient privacy and confidentiality. ‘Violator’s of the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act, can and will be held accountable if patient privacy rights are compromised” (Kinn’s, 2011)..
References
Kinn’s, 2011. The Medical Assistant: An Applied Learning Approach. Sanders-
Elsevier, Publisher, St. Louis, MI. Information retrieved on January 22, 2014.
