The Importance Of Health Information Technology

A healthcare law that relates to health information and technology is the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA provides privacy standards to protect patients’ medical records and other healthcare information that is provided. In other words, this federal law gives each individual the right to their own health records, which sets rules on who can review these records and who cannot. This law has been active for the past 20 years, ensuring patient rights. Consequently, HIPAA does relate to health information technology (HIT) because medical records are now accessed through new technology. The recent growth of HIT has provided risks and benefits that involve patient medical records. In fact, the rise in health information technology has increased the amount of healthcare providers utilizing it. While electronic medical records are on the rise, protecting patient rights becomes extremely critical. According to HRSA (2016), “Health IT offers patients the opportunity far better quality and more

An individual does not go through college without knowing what HIPAA is. HIPAA holds the healthcare community together and without it, the patients would never trust anyone in the medical field. According to Smith, Gambrell & Russell (2016), the term [HIPAA] is on the lips of virtually every healthcare provider and has been a constant area of concern over the last few years.” In fact, breaking the HIPAA law is a physician’s worst nightmare. Releasing information to a family member without consent or sending another physician’s records without patient permission will create the potential for legal action. Legal actions can become expensive and result in criminal and civil penalties starting at 50,000 dollars and with the chance of imprisonment. Therefore, all medical offices, hospitals, and clinics constantly harp on the HIPAA guidelines to make sure these laws remain