HIPAA privacy rules may seem overboard, but they actually introduce many more benefits than drawbacks. Patients and facilities alike benefit from HIPAA standards.
HIPAA has a lot of intricate details for professionals to go through. Below are the core HIPAA benefits for all entities involved.
Why Was It Created?
In 1996, the HIPAA was created to help people maintain health coverage while transitioning between jobs. Big companies often offer heavily discounted insurance packages for employees, but those benefits fell off when the individual left for another job or no longer worked at the company.
HIPAA also aimed to secure the personal health information of patients and reduce fraud in the healthcare system. Healthcare companies must take steps to ensure that patient information is kept confidential at all times. Reducing healthcare fraud keeps healthcare costs low for everyone.
HIPAA Benefits for Patients
Patients benefit the most from HIPAA policies. Healthcare facilities and entities must comply with HIPAA standards that protect every aspect of the patient experience. Keeping patients safe is a top priority for HIPAA.
Patients entering the healthcare system must bear all their sensitive details to health professionals. In this vulnerable state, patients must endure lengthy processes to obtain healthcare. Such sensitive information needs to be shared to provide the best services possible.
HIPAA makes sure that healthcare facilities transfer information without exposing the patient to public or unwanted sources. Patients can now safely:
- Swap healthcare plans
- Choose different doctors
- Change facilities
- Obtain copies of their own medical records
- Fix mistakes in their own medical records
- Expect higher qualities of service
- Maintain peace of mind
HIPAA protects patients around the clock.
HIPAA Benefits for Doctors and the Industry
HIPAA centers on providing for and protecting patients but benefits the healthcare industry as a whole. HIPAA rules and regulations help all healthcare entities and officials to provide better service to patients.
Technological advancements have prompted healthcare facilities to digitize their medical documents from paper to electronic form. Electronic documents are much easier for healthcare professionals to gather and process. Healthcare professionals can access patient medical history at the press of a button.
Digital information is a lot easier for healthcare professionals to access but is just as easy for criminals to do the same. HIPAA stands between unwanted access and patient safety. HIPAA:
- Sets strict security controls for sensitive data
- Restricts access to health information
- Streamlines the entire healthcare process
- Unifies data through universal codes
- Helps facilities transmit information securely
HIPAA standards and policies help make professional healthcare easier to administer.
Destroying PHI and PII
Physical and digital information will contain Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII). HIPAA requires proper destruction of the information.
Healthcare facilities can ensure patient safety through data destruction methods such as paper shredding and hard drive destruction. These are the best ways to destroy sensitive information.
Medical practices should always hire a paper shredding company to ensure compliance with HIPAA destruction laws.
HIPAA Helps Everyone
HIPAA was created to help, not hinder, the healthcare industry. Both patients and facilities benefit from its rules and regulations. HIPAA ensures safety for all entities involved in the healthcare industry.
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