Explore HIPAA compliance resources for the healthcare industry. Learn requirements, privacy rules, and best practices to safeguard patient data and avoid violations.
HIPAA and PIPEDA represent two initiatives wherein lawmakers require organizations to exercise greater stewardship of consumer medical information. In fact, inexperienced IT managers occasionally confuse the contents of these two pieces of North American legislation.
The healthcare industry has come a long way in improving patient care. Lifesaving instruments such as pacemakers and insulin pumps are now combined with connectivity. Remote monitoring by a health professional can track dramatic spikes in a patient’s heart rhythms. An alert is then sent to a physician for preventative measures. It’s a lot better than repairing damage after the fact.
“PCI” stands for “payment card industry,” commonly associated with the longer-named Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This is a set of rules that outlines the accepted security standards for credit and debit cards, whether they’re used online or in person.
When it was first created, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability [HIPAA] Act was enacted in order to safeguard a patient’s protected health information [PHI]. Over the years, the policy has evolved so that both covered entities and business associates are beholden to the rules and regulations mandated via HIPAA. However, even the businesses outside of that specific purview should be aware of HIPAA’s rules and act in accordance, particularly since all employers will possess at least some employee PHI.
Violations of HIPAA can result in serious legal ramifications to both your business and any employees who are found guilty of such breaches. Therefore, it’s essential that your HR team is trained in HIPAA compliance procedures and protocols, especially if you’re a covered entity or business associate. Below, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about HIPAA and HIPAA training for HR professionals.
In 2009, the Obama administration announced the release of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The stimulus bill covered a broad swath of policy meant to jumpstart American industry in the wake of the Great Recession. In addition, President Obama saw this as a mechanism for revising Clinton’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) Act of 1996. To that end, he introduced the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.
The fundamental purpose of HITECH was to push the American healthcare industry into the digital age and to better protect patient’s privacy and security with regards to their confidential patient information. But that’s not all this bill sought to bring to pass. Below, discover the main objectives and goals of HITECH.
Read on to find out.