HIPAA FOR DUMMIES

First proposed in 1996 in order that workers could carry forward insurance and healthcare rights between places of work and roles, our HIPAA simplified history shows the Act has since evolved into an act of legislation that also governs health insurance fraud and tax provisions for medical savings accounts and ensures acceptance of workers with pre-existing stipulatios into occupational healthcare insurance schemes. Mainly though, HIPAA concerns the privacy and security of patient health information.

HIPAA (via the HITECH Act) was also used to encourage the healthcare sector to digitalize paper records. This led to worries over unauthorized disclosures of “Protected Health Information” (PHI) and lead to in the development of further privacy and security legislation in 2013. The regulations addressed technological developments in the healthcare sector since the original legislation was passed, and expanded responsibility for the integrity of PHI to Business Associates.

The HIPAA regulations are policed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, while State Attorney Generals can also take action against parties found not to be in compliance with HIPAA. The Office for Civil Rights has the power to impose financial penalties on Covered Entities and Business Associates for breaches of PHI unless the offending party can show a low probability that patient health information was violated.

https://www.hipaaguide.net/hipaa-for-dummies/

Learn more about it:
https://www.hipaaguide.net/how-to-ensure-hipaa-compliant-file-sharing/
https://www.hipaaguide.net/can-hipaa-covered-entities-lower-security-risks-mobile-device-usage/