Policy Regulation Fact Sheet

Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet

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HIPPA

Way back in 1996, the health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was created to serve different purposes. Some of the reasons were to lay a guiding platform for health care facilities that were practicing fraud, and abuse to deliver quality care services based on health information standards, ensure there is health insurance portability for employed persons, as well as ensure there are security and privacy of medical information (Health Information Privacy, 2013). 

Impact on System Implementation

There was a lot of impact on system implementation. The HIPPA privacy rule covered some entities such as medical providers, health insurers, employer-sponsored health plans, and health insurers, however, and it didn’t allow these entities to disclose sensitive health information to external handlers who don’t licensure of access. The information was supposed to be disclosed for purposes of medical care or criminal investigations. Patients under HIPAA rule system implementation were given the authority to review and amend their health records. This way, the patient’s health data was protected from getting into unsafe hands. HIPAA law as well as tightened the security of any electronically conveyed document within the facility (Health Information Privacy, 2013). 

Impact on Clinical Care, Patient/Provider Interactions, and Workflow

Those organizations that have implemented HIPAA law in their daily facility operations have witnessed several positive outcomes such as easier workflow, patient/provider interactions as quality care delivery. it has been deduced that, under HIPAA law, transmitted patient health information is always accurate because the law prohibits the edition of data without the patient knowledge. Therefore, medical errors are reduced at a greater margin (Nelson & Staggers, 2016).  

Organizational Policies

The following procedures need to place to address the named law: 

Confidential information must be encrypted 

Passwords should be changed and updated regularly 

Having periodic audits to determine the type of information to be shared across systems 

All systems are periodically checked for malware attacks to update antivirus securities. 

Access to health care records should be granted to recognized personnel and via smart cards, passwords or fingerprints. 

References 

Health Information Privacy. (2013). Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Retrieved from: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html 

Nelson, R., & Staggers, N. (2016). Health Informatics-E-Book: An Interprofessional Approach. Elsevier Health Sciences.