HLT-312v Week 2 Discussion 2

What is HIPAA and how has this affected health care? What rights to privacy should patients have?

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How has HIPAA affected health care?

Introduction

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that was passed in 1996 to protect the privacy of patients. It requires all businesses with more than 50 employees to take steps to protect their employees’ health information from being misused or lost.

It made it easier for employees to switch jobs.

• It made it easier for employees to switch jobs.

• It made it easier to move between plans.

• It made it easier to take a job with a different employer.

• It made it easier for employees and their dependents who are covered under the same plan, but not necessarily enrolled in the same plan (for example, if you have family members who are covered through your spouse or partner’s health coverage), as long as they live in North Carolina at least 60 days per year, they can stay on their parent’s plan up until age 26 when they can choose their own insurance policy that fits into what works best financially for them by paying monthly premiums instead of quarterly payments like many employers offer now day(s).

It required employers to provide a summary of benefits and a summary plan description.

It’s important to understand that HIPAA doesn’t just apply to health care providers. It also applies to employers, who must provide a summary of benefits and a summary plan description (SPD) to their employees before the first day of work.

Employers are required to provide these documents in an easily understandable format, which means they have to be easy enough for someone with no medical background whatsoever—or even an avid health-care professional—to understand. For example: “Here are my co-workers’ names,” not “Here are their names.” Also: there shouldn’t be any jargon or acronyms used in the SPDs; it should be written in plain English that anyone can read without having prior knowledge about what those terms mean (and if you’re unsure about how your employer wants them presented, ask!). The SPDs themselves must include all relevant information about benefits offered by each plan—not just premiums but also deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses such as copays and coinsurance rates—and should include instructions on contacting customer service if there’s anything missing from this document at any time during enrollment periods.*

It created new rights for patients.

HIPAA gave patients the right to see their medical records, amend those records, and request copies of them. In addition, it created new rights for patients related to confidential communications with their doctors or other health care providers.

It made it easier for employees to get emergency care in the event of an accident at work.

HIPAA also made it easier for employees to get emergency care in the event of an accident at work. If you’re injured on the job, you can call your employer and ask them to send a doctor or nurse to the scene of your injury. They may not have an office nearby, but they will always have at least one hospital within 30 minutes’ drive from where they are located.

If someone falls down a flight of stairs and breaks their leg, they’ll need medical attention within 24 hours—but this is usually only possible if there’s someone nearby who can help them immediately after falling down stairs (such as another family member). Under HIPAA, these kinds of injuries are covered by insurance companies; therefore hospitals won’t charge patients with broken bones very much money because doctors know that insurance companies will cover most costs associated with severe injuries like those caused by falls down stairs.”

It created new responsibilities for health care providers and health plans.

HIPAA has created new responsibilities for health care providers and health plans. Providers must have a Privacy Officer, who is responsible for ensuring that sensitive patient information is protected. Healthcare providers must also have a Breach Notification Plan (BMP), which outlines how they will report breaches of PHI to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). A Security Plan describes how your organization will protect PHI from unauthorized access or use in accordance with the HIPAA Security Rule.

Healthcare providers often receive notices about privacy violations via e-mail or fax, but these notifications are not required by law; however, if you get one then it’s important that you respond so that you maintain good relationships with both patients and others involved in providing care at your facility.

HIPAA has had many effects on health care in the United States.

HIPAA has had many effects on health care in the United States.

• It has made it easier for employees to switch jobs.

• It has required employers to provide a summary of benefits and a summary plan description (SPD).

• It created new rights for patients, including access to their medical records and the right to request an independent review if they believe that their treatment was not appropriate or competent.[1]

Conclusion

The HIPAA Act has had many effects on health care in the United States. It required employers to provide a summary of benefits and a summary plan description, and created new rights for patients. The act also created new responsibilities for health care providers and health plans. It made it easier for employees to switch jobs without losing their health insurance coverage under their old employer’s plan, because they would now have access through a new insurer’s website (eHealth).