HIPAA Rules, What Every American Should Know

In 1996, the United States passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which changed the way that healthcare workers and providers are allowed to handle record retrieval and the sharing of personal healthcare information. Despite the passing of this act, most Americans do not know enough about HIPAA rules to know how to keep themselves safe from violations and breaches in privacy. Knowing the basics could be crucial to keeping your personal information or the information of a loved one safe and confidential.

To properly understand HIPAA rules, it is important to discuss how the act came about in the first place. The origins of this act can be traced all the way back to 1975, when a new system of electronic data sharing and record retrieval became commonplace in the healthcare world. With the continued advancement in technology, it became more apparent that regulations on the transfer and sharing of this information needed to be regulated. The rise of email and the Internet made this need for privacy even more crucial, and so HIPAA was born to protect individuals and families from their medical records being spread all over the place and shared with individuals who simply did not have any business seeing them.

So what should you know about HIPAA rules? Here are the basics:

A person's medical record retrieval by individuals outside of the medical profession can only happen if there is a court order signed by a judge, a subpoena with proper proof of need, or a Qualified Protective Order used for litigation purposes. Every single American is entitled to the privacy that HIPAA provides. Whether an individual is a baby, healthy, sick, or even deceased, his or her medical records are to remain protected under this act. A healthcare provider or servicer cannot look at any medical history or information from your doctor unless you choose to share this information. An example of this is buying medical equipment. Generally, in the case of medical supply retailers, the staff members of these stores need the client's medical history to approve him or her for the products that he or she is seeking, especially if the client wants these products to be paid for by insurance. These retailers must have written consent for record retrieval and the sharing of these records with an insurance company or the staff within the company, before they can proceed with processing any claim.

HIPAA rules were created to protect the citizens of the United States from their information being spread all over the Internet via unsecure transfer of information and record retrieval. This act was created so that with the rise of technology, companies and healthcare providers are required to keep your personal records safe and secure, and it gives the American rights as to who sees and knows what regarding his or her personal medical history. Knowing your basic rights in relation to HIPAA is important so you know how to recognize if your privacy has been breached or you or a loved one have been taken advantage of.

Judicial Council Forms Hold Clues To California Procedural Questions   Legal Rights Advice: 10 Areas of Fun Regarding Legal Help   3 Things a New Process Server Must Do to Be Successful   How To Record A Lien   How to Fight a Credit Card Lawsuit: Request to Admit Facts Collection Lawsuit   Responding to a Collection Agency's Interrogatories Correctly