Medical records have been around for a long time, but the internet has changed everything. People are going online to get medical treatment and complete their regular checkups. As you can imagine, all of this information is stored in medical records. While it’s great that people are becoming more educated about their own health and seeking out better treatment options, the internet has the potential to expose patient information to anyone who may want to access it. This is why HIPAA compliance rules were created.

HIPAA compliance is a law meant to protect the privacy of an individual’s medical records. However, with so many new tools online and so much internet use, it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with HIPAA compliance. These are some important things that you need to know in order to avoid penalties for non-compliance. You must have a written policy on how your business will deal with all patient information. For example, who has access to what information? Who can make copies? This article will help you better understand the importance of HIPAA compliance and the dangers of non-compliance.

Here are 4 facts you should be aware of when it comes to HIPAA compliance:

1. The HIPAA Security Rule

The HIPAA Security Rule is one of the most important aspects of HIPAA compliance. This rule establishes the standards for protecting electronically protected health information (ePHI). This means that healthcare providers and business associates must take steps to ensure the security of patient data. This can include things like installing firewalls, using encryption and training employees on how to safely handle patient information.

The purpose of the HIPAA Security Rule is to set a national level of security standards. These standards require businesses and all levels of government organizations to have policies, procedures, and technologies in place so that patients’ personal health information can be kept private from unauthorised individuals. This is important because unauthorised access or disclosure of personal health information can lead to identity theft.

2. The HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule

Under the HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule, healthcare companies and business associates must limit access to patient information only to those who need it in order to carry out their jobs. For example, if a lab tech has no reason to see a patient’s medical records, they should not be able to view them without authorisation from the doctor. The idea behind the Minimum Necessary Rule is to protect patient privacy and ensure that no unnecessary information about a patient’s health is disclosed. The HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule applies to all entities that are involved in treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. If you want to find out more about this rule you should check out online sources, or contact a lawyer. This rule is covered under the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

3. The HIPAA Omnibus Rule

The HIPAA Omnibus Rule is a new amendment that changes some of the ways healthcare providers and business associates must handle patient information. It focuses on increasing the privacy, accuracy, and availability of ePHI while also decreasing administrative burdens associated with all aspects of compliance for both healthcare providers and business associates.

The HIPAA Omnibus Rule significantly expanded the scope of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, and clarified the rules governing business associates. It also included changes to the Breach Notification Rule and the HIPAA Rules Enforcement. The official name of this amendment is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

4. The Breach Notification Rule

The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires healthcare providers and business associates to notify patients when their data has been compromised due to security breaches. It also requires them to notify the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) when sensitive patient data has been breached, whether by theft or another means. This rule applies to all members of the covered entity’s workforce, not just employees.

When healthcare providers and business associates discover an impermissible use or disclosure of ePHI, they must conduct a risk assessment to determine if the breach poses a significant risk of financial, reputational, or other harm to the individual If it does pose such harm, then the covered entity must notify both HHS and affected individuals. If it does not, then the covered entity must document why it determined that the breach did not pose any significant risk of harm to affected individuals.

These are just four important HIPAA compliance facts that you need to be aware of! All of these rules are crucial to keeping patient information secure, so if you haven’t done so already, it is important to become familiar with them as soon as possible. Now that you know these four important HIPAA compliance facts, you have a good foundation for HIPAA compliance. For more information about all things HIPAA, check out more articles or contact a lawyer.

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