3 Things You Need To Understand About The Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of the United States is one that has been applauded by many as the next step in solid health record administration. It is an Act that seeks to keep the power of information with those concerned. Transactions, privacy and security are the main concerns of this Act. It ensures that information regarding the activities of those associated with the health industry along with the documentation that they possess, remains in the hands of the government and the owner of the information, and that the records are not manipulated or spread around without authorization.

There are courses available online to inform those that are compliant or those covered entities that come under the protection of the act. Agencies like healthcare clearinghouses, insurance companies, medical care providers, business associates of all of the above, employers who have initiated or applied for group health plans and other related organizations or individuals fill the categories of those compliant.

Depending on which profile suits you, you can choose a course to find out how you are affected. There are many who are curious about this act and wish to learn more. It might be possible, but it is not advisable unless you are a covered entity yourself. These courses are available online and have to be paid for, in a lot of cases but it helps in the dissemination of information amongst those who must be in the know.

The Electronic Protected Health Information (EPHI) is one of the main reasons why this has been tightened. The software component of this law has to be insured against any external eyes, i.e. networks have to be encrypted, data has to be made secure and the channels safe for access. Locking down is a method used to keep the information safe. Those that help develop this are also under the act for being compliant.

The reasons why this act has been brought under scrutiny are listed below:

– Demographics are statistics the government studies very carefully. Population, birth and death and other occurrences like spread of diseases, whether endemic or pandemic are issues that the government needs to have full information of, at all times. Any false alarm or premature announcement can cause serious danger to the peace of a population.

– The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are both organizations that keep tabs on the food and beverages and make sure that adulteration does not happen and that there are no anomalies in the food industry. This is the job of the internal industries and any reports that are not authorized may throw their operations in to jeopardy.

– Such information, when in the wrong hands, can be manipulated to spread unrest and pandemonium. The government thus ensures that the information only remains its prerogative and not a mediator’s. The government represents the people and the people’s concerns should effectively be the government’s own.

Make sure to find a course that is tailor-made for you and which is not too heavy on your budget. There is no harm in learning what you should know and making use of online opportunities.

For more information, please visit our hipaa training online website.

For more information, please visit our hipaa training online website http://www.hipaatrainings.com

Author Bio: For more information, please visit our hipaa training online website.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: hipaa privacy rule,health insurance providers,healthcare clearinghouses,Health care providers,Health

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