HIPAA Rules & Regulation in Health Care

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, provides protection of personal health information. It protects patients' rights to privacy while still allowing health-care professionals access to the information they need to properly care for patients. HIPAA applies to certain entities within the health-care field, and those entities are bound to adhere to the rules and regulations of HIPAA.

Covered Entities

• The privacy act covers certain entities. Those entities are bound to follow the rules and regulations of HIPAA. Health care providers are a covered entity and include doctors, clinics, psychologists, dentists, chiropractors, nursing homes and pharmacies. Health plans are also included: health Insurance companies, HMOs, company health plans and government programs such as Medicaid. Health-care clearinghouses also must ensure privacy; these are entities that process health information.

Entities Not Covered

• Not all entities are covered by HIPPA rules and regulations. Schools, state agencies and law-enforcement agencies are not required to follow the HIPAA.

Notification

• Patients should also be notified how records are used and stored. If a patient's records have been compromised, the patients should be made aware of that. If health records are used for lawful reasons, the patient should receive a copy of the records and the legal report they are being used for.

Medical Records

• Patients should always have access to view their own health information. They can request medical-record copies at any time and should never be denied their own records.

Safeguards

• Any entities that are covered by HIPAA should have safeguards and procedures in place to make sure that information is protected at all times. Safeguards should be on access to the records and security of the records, and should be in place before records are stored.

Reporting Violations

• If there is a violation of HIPAA rules and regulations, there are ways to report it. Complaints can be filed with health insurance via the number listed on your insurance card, the care provider or with the U.S. government by visiting the U.S Department of Health and Human Services website at www.hhs.gov .