How Patient Information are Secure and risk free under HIPPA?

HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is U.S States act enacted by the 104^th United States Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton on 21^st August 1996 to ensure privacy, security and protection of Patient Health Information (PHI) and allows secured exchange of these data by the covered entities. HIPAA is the federal law that sets boundaries and limitation to the use of patient identifiers and protects the sensitive information from being disclosed.

*HIPAA consists of 5 titles:

• Title I: Protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families who change or lose their jobs. It limits new health plans' ability to deny coverage due to a pre-existing condition.
• Title II: Prevents Health Care Fraud and Abuse; Medical Liability Reform; Administrative Simplification that requires the establishment of national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, employers, and health insurance plans.
• Title III: Guidelines for pre-tax medical spending accounts. It provides changes to health insurance law and deductions for medical insurance.
• Title IV: Guidelines for group health plans. It provides modifications for health coverage.
• Title V: Governs company-owned life insurance policies. Makes provisions for treating people without United States Citizenship and repealed financial institution rule to interest allocation rules.

To know how HIPAA protects Patient Health Information lets understand who all are covered under HIPPA or needs to comply by HIPAA Policy:

·         Anyone working in Healthcare sector or facility

·         Medical Students and related education sectors

·         Non-Patient Care Healthcare employees

·         Insurance Carriers

·         Billing Companies or business associates

·         EMR and EHR Partners

HIPAA protects not only the medical reports but also patient related information called the patient identifiers such as Demographic information and SSN number. HIPAA has recognized 18 patient related details as “Patient Identifiers”.

**The following are considered identifiers under the HIPAA safe harbor rule:

1. ​Names;
2. All geographic subdivisions smaller than a State, including street address, city, county, precinct, zip code, and their equivalent geocodes, except for the initial three digits of a zip code if, according to the current publicly available data from the Bureau of the Census:
1. ​​​​​The geographic unit formed by combining all zip codes with the same three initial digits contains more than 20,000 people; and
2. The i​nitial three digits of a zip code for all such geographic units containing 20,000 or fewer people is changed to 000.
3. All elements of dates (except year) for dates directly related to an individual, including birth date, admission date, discharge date, date of death; and all ages over 89 and all elements of dates (including year) indicative of such age, except that such ages and elements may be aggregated into a single category of age 90 or older;
4. Telephone numbers;
5. Fax numbers;
6. Electronic mail addresses;
7. Social security numbers;
8. Medical record numbers
9. Health plan beneficiary numbers;
10. Account numbers;
11. Certificate/license numbers;
12. Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers;
13. Device identifiers and serial numbers;
14. Web Universal Resource Locators (URLs);
15. Internet Protocol (IP) address numbers;
16. Biometric identifiers, including finger and voice prints;
17. Full face photographic images and any comparable images; and
18. Any other unique identifying number, characteristic, or code, except as permitted by paragraph (c)​

Thereby protecting each and every patient related information, PHI is safe and secure under HIPAA. To know more about HIPAA Compliance reach out to MGSI

About MGSI

With 28+ years of experience providing complete Revenue Cycle Management and Medical Billing Services to providers, practices and medical groups. MGSI has established as the top Medical Billing Company in Tampa, FL and provides seamless services to more than 600 physician across the US. To know more about  MGSI call 877-896-6474 or log on to Privacy Policy | MGSI Online | Medical Group Services