Compliance with HIPAA

The business and health organizations storing patient data electronically have to comply with the HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, passed in the year 2006. The compliance with HIPAA is mandatory. According to the Act's sponsors, it ensures that there is reduction in health care fraud and abuse cases along with facilitating better access to health insurance. Compliance with HIPAA is also supposed to lower the overall cost of health care in the United States as the system of data accountability makes it easier to process health care data.

All entities storing patient data electronically must comply with HIPAA and the covered entities include health plans, health care clearing houses and health care providers such as doctors, dentists, medical facilities, etc. The compliance areas include the HIPAA Privacy rules and HIPAA Security rules.

HIPAA Privacy Rule was made a mandatory compliance area in April 14, 2003. The rule sets the standards for the control of protected health information. This includes the manner in which the protected health information, whatever the form or medium, should be controlled. These rules must be incorporated in the policies and practices of health care providers and plans. All the entities involved in health care must comply with the privacy and security rules within the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

The HIPAA Security Rule is a mandatory compliance area, the act being passed in April 21, 2005. This is the first extensive protection act set by the Federal Government for the protection of privacy of personal health information. The HIPAA Security Rule sets the standards and implementation procedures that organizations dealing with health care must meet in order to maintain compliance.

The general compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule makes it mandatory for covered entities to follow certain rules. These include:

• 1. The confidentiality, integrity and access to all electronically protected health information the covered entity creates, receives or transmits must be ensured.
• 2. The protection against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security and integrity of such information must be ensured.
• 3. The protection against any anticipated uses or revelation of such information without authorization must be ensured.
• 4. Compliance to HIPAA must be followed by the entire workforce.

Our online storage network helps covered entities comply with HIPAA Privacy and HIPAA Security Rules. This is done through the encryption of data being backed up, which ensures that data being transmitted remains secure. There is also the physical security of the data, which is contained in high security, electronically monitored premises. There is a written contingency plan of the HIPAA Security Rule, which all the covered entities must concur with. The contingency plan facilitates the data backup in the event of system emergencies and disasters.

For more information regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act see the department of Health and Human Services and the Wikipedia entry on it.

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