What Are The Things You Need To Know About HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996 to help improve access to employer health plans and protect the privacy of patients. Whenever you visit the doctor for a checkup you are made to sign an agreement. Before signing an agreement you should be aware of the provisions of HIPAA so that you are aware about your rights.

Under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act the patients have the right to access their records and if necessary they can obtain copies of these records. You can also deny permission of usage of this information for marketing purposes. Patients can also check who has accessed their records and if they find any one unauthorized to do so they can lodge a complaint against it. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act also make it easier for employees to move from one employer plan to another with ease.

Simple Facts About Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act

• HIPAA allows employees to continue with their health insurance plans even after they have left their current positions. The coverage can be for an extended period of time so that there is no gap in the coverage of the health plan.

• As per the Act no new employer health care plans can deny payment to any pre existing conditions. If an employee has an existing medical condition there is a time limit for the exclusion period and this is for a period of 12 months.

• Information related to patients is transferred electronically by many health care providers, pharmacies and insurance companies for various purposes. This sensitive information should not be accessed by unauthorized people who could use it for ulterior motives.

• All the information that is stored electronically would be required to be authenticated and encrypted as per the standards stipulated by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

• If there are any violations, you would need to report it within 180 days of discovering them. The complaint of violation can be filed with the Office for Civil Rights.

• HIPAA only covers any information that is stored after April 3, 2003. This is the date when the privacy rule came into effect. Any information prior to this date will not be covered under HIPAA.

• Only the patient or their representative would be allowed to access the confidential information. Written permission is required to access any protected information.

• There are various states that offer additional benefits to patients apart from those stipulated by HIPAA. You would need to contact your state commissioner's office to know about these policies.

• All employees of insurance companies and other health care providers would need to be trained and certified to handle the protected information. They should be aware of the various guidelines that have been stipulated by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

These are some of the simple facts about HIPAA that will help you get a better idea about what the Act pertains to do and how it is useful to patients.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA website.

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