To improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and security of the health care system, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) included administrative provisions that required the Government to adopt national standards for electronic health care transactions, code sets, unique health identifiers, and security. At the same time, Congress recognized that advances in electronic technology could erode the privacy of health information. Consequently, Congress incorporated into HIPAA provisions that mandated the adoption of Federal privacy protections for individually identifiable health information.
A healthcare organization must implement, within their business, HIPPA compliancy procedures in order to protect the privacy, security, and integrity of protected health information. In order to be compliant one must have proper physical, administrative, and technical safe guards to keep both physical and electronic patient health records private. The violation penalties can range anywhere from $50,000 to $1.5 million dollars per year until HIPPA compliancy is properly in place.
It is recommended that audits be done, with a proper I.T. company, on a regular basis to ensure that what you have in place complies with today’s security standards. Training should be performed to inform your employees of potential security risks and financial risks. A Disaster Recovery Plan should be in place in the event of a breach or other known disaster that causes the information to get leaked. Contact C Three Business Consultants today to learn more about HIPPA compliancy! Our consultations are FREE!