HIPAA Information

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Public Law 104-191, became law in 1996. Frequently termed HIPAA, it was designed to:

• Simplify processing and distribution of medical information – which includes claims, enrollment, payment advice
• Improve the portability of health insurance by removing penalties for changing jobs
• Give patients access to their own medical information
• Protect patient data that is stored, processed, or transmitted

The Administrative Simplification portion of the Act went into effect in 2002 and it covers:

• Electronic Transactions: standards for the electronic exchange of administrative and financial healthcare transactions
• Security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability of individual health information
• Privacy: protection of personal health information
• Code Sets: sets of codes used for encoding data elements, such as tables of terms, medical concepts, medical diagnostic codes, or medical procedure codes
• Identifiers: unique identification numbers for health care providers (NPI, National Provider Identifier) and employers (EIN, Employer Identification Number) for use in healthcare transactions

Entities that use, store, or transmit individually identifiable healthcare data are subject to HIPAA regulations (including physician practices, healthcare facilities, other healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses). Be assured HealthSmart understands the serious nature of these requirements and follows all provisions of HIPAA.