What is HIPAA

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets the standards for sensitive patient data protection. Businesses that deal with protected health information (PHI) must have security measures in place and follow them to ensure HIPAA Compliance.

When was HIPAA Passed?

HIPAA became US law in 1996.

Who is Responsible for HIPAA?

Any business or company including business associates or subcontractors that provide treatment, payment and operations in the health care industry must be HIPAA compliant. According to the HIPAA standards essentially any individual or business that has access to patient health information must meet HIPAA compliancy standards.

What is the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule?

The HIPAA privacy and security rules set national standards in the US to protect the privacy of individual health information and how it is held and transfered. The HIPAA security rule is in place to protect the privacy of an individuals' personal health information while at the same time allowing covered entities to adopt new technologies in order to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care.

What are the Components of HIPAA?

There are four main components of HIPAA

1. Privacy of health information
2. Security of electronic records related to health care
3. Administrative simplification
4. Insurance portability

Why is HIPAA Needed?

HIPAA protects the personal health information of patients and keeps that information private. Patient privacy is critical to patient care, patients would be less likely to share senstive information, if their confidentiality was not ensured.

There are a number of components to ensure the physical and technical safeguards, policies and HIPAA compliance of medical records, they include: limiting facility access, policies about access, and restrictions about transferring, removing, disposing and reusing electronic media and data.

What is HITECH?

To ensure HIPAA compliance the US Government passed HITECH.  The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. HITECH encouraged the adoption of Electronic Health Records and supporting technologies in the United States with 5 goals in mind.

The 5 goals of HITECH include:

1.  Improve quality, safety and efficiency of health care
2.  Engage patients in their health care
3.  Increase coordination of care
4.  Improve the health of the population  
5.  Ensure privacy and security of health information

Why does HIPAA matter and how does it relate to text messaging?

Hospitals and medical facilities have adopted text messaging in a variety of ways. In order to be HIPAA compliant, all technology adoption must adhere to very specific guidelines.  Text messaging is included in the technology that hospitals and medical facilities have adopted to facilitate patient care. 

More on HIPAA and Text Messaging