SecHard

5.4. HIPAA Compliance

Means compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA is a law in the United States that aims to protect protected health information (PHI). PHI is any health-related information that can identify or identify an individual.

The purpose of HIPAA compliance is to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of PHI. To this end, HIPAA establishes a set of requirements for all organizations that collect, store, use and disclose PHI.

HIPAA Compliance was issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HIPAA came into effect in 1996.

HIPAA Compliance is mandatory for the following organizations:

  • Healthcare providers

  • Health insurance companies

  • Health information systems providers

  • Health researchers

These organizations must comply with HIPAA for as long as they process PHI.

To comply with HIPAA Compliance, organizations must take the following steps:

 

  1. Review HIPAA and identify the provisions that are important to your organization.

  2. Develop a plan to fulfill these provisions.

  3. Implement the plan and evaluate its effectiveness.

 

HIPAA Compliance is an important tool to help organizations protect PHI and meet their legal obligations.

The benefits of HIPAA Compliance include:

  • Ensures PHI is protected.

  • Fulfills legal obligations.

  • Strengthens corporate reputation.

  • Reduces business risks.

HIPAA compliance is an important step for organizations to protect PHI. Complying with HIPAA will help organizations meet their legal obligations and protect their PHI.

The key requirements of HIPAA compliance are:

  • Confidentiality: PHI must be accessible only to authorized individuals and used only for authorized purposes.

  • Integrity: PHI must be kept accurate and up-to-date.

  • Accessibility: PHI must be accessible when needed.

HIPAA compliance also provides a variety of tools and resources to help organizations protect PHI. These tools and resources include HIPAA compliance guides, training materials, and audit services.

 

 

SecHard