Wednesday, November 28, 2012

What Are The HIPAA Regulations For Patients


The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that was passed in 1996 aims to provide quality healthcare coverage plan to all employees and their families and seek to safeguard the protected information of patients against any misuse. There are many safeguards that are provided by HIPAA and this ensures that all information pertaining to the patients is safeguarded.

There are various organizations that are classified as "covered entities" as per Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and they would need to comply with all the provisions of the Act. The covered entities include doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and health insurance companies. All staff employed in these organizations (covered entities) and who will have access to confidential information of patients will need to be adequately trained about the rules and regulations of HIPAA.

Top 7 HIPAA Regulations For Patients

The medical records of patients are usually accessed by doctors, nurses and other people in the health care industry for treatment or for other purposes. The patients will have the right to deny access to their medical records by anyone other than the doctor. There can also be restrictions imposed by the patient on the sharing of medical records with family and friends. Although patients can restrict the sharing of protected information, doctors might not be able to comply with their request at all times. Physicians would have to share information with nurses and other staff to provide treatment and it would not be possible to restrict the sharing of protected information due to this. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act allows the patients the right to be contacted at an alternate phone number and address, if they do not want their family members and friends to know about their medical condition. The patients can also request the doctor to provide them with their medical records. Although the patient might be able to review all medical records the physician may restrict access to part or complete information if they feel that this can be harmful to the patient. If there are any errors in the protected information of patients, you will be able to make requests for any suitable amendments to it. The changes will need to be made within 90 days from the date of the request. The confidential information of patients cannot be used for commercial purposes and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act prohibits such usage. Medical records of patients cannot be provided to employers by health insurance companies without the permission of the employee.

All these Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations will ensure that the protected information of patients is safeguarded and any sort of misuse is prevented. If the patient becomes aware of any violation of HIPAA they can report it to the covered entities so that suitable remedial action can be taken.

Any violation that is reported needs to be corrected within a time period of 30 days and this can be extended for a further period too. If the violation is not corrected it can lead to penalties depending on the extent of the violation.

HIPAA Certificate Of Creditable Coverage   Benefits Of Health Insurance Quotes Online   HIPAA Safety Rule - 3 Safeguards to Be Followed   Why You Need Medical Insurance   Australians Should Compare Health Insurance Policies for Pre-Existing Condition Coverage   



0 comments:

Post a Comment


Twitter Facebook Flickr RSS



Français Deutsch Italiano Português
Español 日本語 한국의 中国简体。