HIPAA is an acronym that stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It was created by the Department of Health and Human Services. HIPAA established national standards that are to be followed by those who offer medical services in regards to the privacy of patient records. HIPAA protects patient’s medical records found within their health care plans, kept by their health care providers, or kept by healthcare clearinghouses. The act provides patients with safeguards to protect their personal information by requiring that the patients give consent before any such information is released. Thus, patient records cannot be used or released by insurance companies, doctor offices, hospitals, and other medical facilities until the patient signs such a release. Additionally, HIPAA gives patients the right to obtain copies of, examine, and ask that corrections be made to their medical records.
No comments:
Post a Comment