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Understanding HIPAA Law

HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It is a law, with several provisions, that protects medical patients and their privacy rights. Besides protecting privacy, the law also determines who can see your health information. You should learn what rights are covered under the law and how your privacy is protected. Also, learn what to do in a situation in which you think your privacy has been compromised.

  1. Who is Covered

    • Check to see if you or your business is covered by HIPPA. All health plans and some government-funded health programs are subject to HIPAA. This includes programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, HMOs, company health insurance and health-insurance agencies. Almost all individual health-care providers are covered under the law. Primary-care physicians, chiropractors, pharmacies and nursing homes are covered. Companies that handle electronic transmission of medical information are also responsible for keeping it private. A few entities are exempt from this law and can share information on a need-to-know basis. These include life insurance companies, schools, state agencies, law enforcement agencies and employers.

    What is Protected

    • Learn what information is protected under HIPAA regulations. When you go to the doctor, you will usually receive a notice pertaining to HIPAA regulations or will be required to sign a document that says that you understand the privacy of your health information. These regulations protect not just your physical medical records but also any conversations that you have with doctors or nurses. They also protect your billing information and any information in your health insurer's system. You can feel secure that any private information that you share at the doctor's office will remain private.

    How You Are Protected

    • Talk to your health-care provider about how your information is protected. Entities covered by HIPAA must make rules within their organization that protect your information. This includes making individual employees accountable for maintaining privacy. Employees must be trained and educated on how to adhere to HIPAA regulations. There also must be contracts in place with any other companies that the health-care provider deals with in order to keep information private.

    Your Rights to Information

    • Get to know your rights under the HIPAA regulations. As a patient, you have certain rights to your medical records and how they are used. You have a right to see or obtain a copy of your health records at any time in order to ensure their accuracy. You should also be notified any time your health information is being shared with another entity. If companies want to use your information for purposes such as marketing, they are required to get your permission first.

    File a Complaint

    • You should also understand what to do if you think that your privacy has been compromised. You can file a complaint at different levels, such as with your health-care provider, insurer and the federal government.

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