HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Of 1996

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in the year 1996. As a broad Congressional attempt at healthcare reform HIPAA was first introduced into Congress as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Bill named after two of its leading sponsors. The law has several different purposes that mainly focus on the protection of the healthcare provider and their patient depending on the circumstances and situations that may typically occur in a medical environment.

The HIPAA rule is built to protect and prevent disclosing individuals’, and consumers’ identifiable health care information unlawfully and without getting authority from the concern parties. If someone break the law, individuals are subject to civil penalties of $100 on each violation but the penalty can accumulates based on numbers of violations; the standard maximum limit of civil penalties is $25,000 each person, each year (HIPAA Privacy Rule – What Employers Need to Know, n. d.). As per stacking rules, if a person violated two HIPAA standards, the penalty can be $50,000; Similarly, the criminal penalties subject to maximum of $ 250,000 and ten years in prison can be imposed to those individuals and parties who disclosed protected information

The Medical Assistant- Certified is responsible for the clinic patient flow by assisting members of the patient care team, providing a broad range of health care services. The Medical Assistant- Certified may also be involved in the training and guidance of personnel. As a member of the patient care team, the Medical Assistant-Certified is also aware of the psychosocial needs of patients and families. It is required that the incumbent is certified or eligible for certification as a Medical Assistant through a nationally accredited certification

The primary goal of The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is to make it easier for people to keep health insurance, protect the confidentiality and security of health care information and help the health care industry control administrative costs. HIPAA is divided into different titles or sections that address a unique aspect of health insurance reform. Two main sections are Title I dealing with Portability and Title II that focuses on Administrative Simplification. Title I allows individuals to carry their health insurance from one job to another so that they do not have a lapse in coverage. It also restricts health plans from requiring preexisting conditions on individuals who switch from one health plan to another.

The goals of HIPAA are to ensure medical coverage scope for workers and their families when they change or lose their employments and to secure wellbeing information trustworthiness, classification, and accessibility. The objectives are also to enhance our health care framework by making it more proficient, less difficult, and less

Medical Office Assistant has many responsibilities. Medical Office Assistant is the heartbeat of a medical office or hospital. Being a Medical Office Assistant involves assisting the administrative by handling clerical and clinical duties. Some duties are filing medical records and maintaining the front office such as keeping everything organized and answering the phone. Handling final payments, medical records, scheduling, final management are other duties of a Medical Office Assistant.

HIPAA has changed Healthcare Information in so many ways when it comes down to EDI. The system is designed to simplify electronic transactions and codes sets. The simplification of HIPAA was designed to show a consistency and operational improvements within the payer and the provider. In order to transfer healthcare information, it has to comply with the standards of HIPAA for that transaction.

(September 30, 2013) - The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published amended rules applicable to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 in January 2013. As explained by the Secretary of HHS, healthcare has experienced significant changes since HIPAA was enacted in 1996. The implementation of electronic medical records is just one of those changes. The new HIPAA regulations are designed to provide patients with better privacy protection, and additional rights not included in the original HIPAA rules. The new rules became effective on Sept. 23, 2013.

Both a medical assistant and nurse have similar duties in providing great health care. Medical assistants and nurses get the patients ready for future procedures; for example, the patient may have a CT scan coming up so the nurse or medical assistant will provide medicine if any should be taken or they will help get all the paperwork prepared. Also both medical assistants and nurses help patients with eating, and provide wound care if needed. Medical assistants and nurses provide a clean and safe environment to prevent sicknesses from spreading. To prevent sickness from spreading they change the sheets from the patient’s bed and clean equipment after every time it is

If you work in healthcare, anywhere from a small medical office to a big hospital to an insurance company, you need to be in compliance with HIPAA. This is a long, complicated document and even big insurance companies struggle to keep the rules fresh in everyone 's mind and everyone on top of the most critical functions. Here are a few things to make sure you are doing right:

DATE: December 19, 2016 TO: New Employee FROM: Jessica Cionca SUBJECT: What to Avoid When Facing a Consistent Issue in the Healthcare Setting Summary: Given below is what to except as a new employee in the healthcare system as a Registration Representative. There are many positive benefits when working in the hospital, but there are several issues that could potentially terminate any employee.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act established in 1996 sets standards for health care information. These laws protect patient’s sensitive health information. The purpose of this discussion is to review a former UCLA employee’s HIPAA violation. Additionally, HIPAA laws and penalties for violation up for examination. Ending this discussion with the possible charges that the employee may receive.

There have been many instances of unauthorized viewing of medical records. Unauthorized viewing of patient records is a violation HIPAA. The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires that “protected health information should not be used or disclosed when it is not necessary to satisfy a particular purpose or carry out a function” (Health and Human Services.gov). The case study in which Joe, a staff member accessed medical information after he was allowed access to the hospital to change lightbulbs and the case study in which the daughter of a nurse accessed medical information as a result of the mother leaving the computer unlocked and unattended, are HIPAA violations (i.e both people accessed the medical information illegally). Joe was tasked with changing a lightbulb, but was curious about a patient he knew on a personal level, his neighbor. Joe intentionally accessed his neighbor’s patient file at an empty workstation after the nurse manager neglected to log out or lock the computer before walking away.

We are entrusted with their most intimate details of personal and medical histories. A medical office assistant must always ensure that their confidentiality is protected through protective measures and to refrain from gossiping with colleagues about their personal

Medical assistants also set up all appointments and answers calls to any questions there may be. When in the emergency room or hospital will most likely see the MA doing vitals , taking too the exam room or asking questions. In a