THE HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1996 (HIPPA)

Community Hospital has always tried our best to give patients the highest quality health care. As part of the promise to care for them, we keep information about their health private. Until now, this promise was simply part of health care’s code of ethics. But, with the enactment of HIPAA, the idea that patients have the right to privacy and confidentiality became more than just an ethical obligation of physicians and healthcare organizations. It became the law.

What is HIPAA?

HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It is a broad law dealing with a variety of issues. Its original goal is to make it easier for people to move from one health insurance plan to another as they change jobs or become unemployed. This also means they must be able to move their medical records and information easily to get the care they need.

To make it easier for healthcare providers to share medical information, the law requires that common transactions—such as submitting a claim on the patient’s behalf—be in a standard format for all healthcare organizations and payers. But as records become easier for providers to share, new processes must be implemented to ensure the security of patient records. This is especially true as more and more information is shared by electronic means (e.g., Internet, e-mail, intranet).

When most healthcare organizations did not use computerized records, it would have been difficult to remove many paper records and make use of the information. Today, with e-mail and electronic storage of information, thousands of records can be sent virtually anywhere.

As a result, an important part of the law discusses patient privacy and confidentiality, as well as security of those records. Under HIPAA’s privacy and information security sections, it is illegal to release health information to inappropriate parties or to fail to adequately protect health information from release.

The staff at Community Hospital are committed to protecting patient privacy and confidentiality. Questions concerning the confidentiality of medical information should be addressed to the Privacy Officer, Cathleen Jensen at 308-344-8329. Questions or concerns regarding the security of electronic information should be addressed to the Security Officer, Lori Beeby at 308-344-8325.