Patient,Information,The,HIPAA, computer Patient Information - The HIPAA Challenge
Gone are those times when the companies and the organisations didn't need a hi-tech system to handle them. Owing to the considerable increase in the business sector and thus, an enormous increase in the complexity of the organisational struc ----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes a
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of1996 has fostered the use of electronic transactions, simplifyinghealthcare administration and reducing overhead. However, the computerization of patient records has created anincreased security risk from various sources, such as intrusionattempts, unauthorized internal access and other security attacks.HIPAA therefore mandates security measures be taken to protectsensitive data, ensuring that only patients and their healthcareproviders have access to patient medical information. According to theFinal Rule of the Acts Health Insurance Reform: Security Standards,HHS states:Section 1173(d) of the Act provides that covered entities thatmaintain or transmit health information are required to maintainreasonable and appropriate administrative, physical, and technicalsafeguards to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of theinformation and to protect against any reasonably anticipated threatsor hazards to the security or integrity of the information andunauthorized use or disclosure of the information. These safeguardsmust also otherwise ensure compliance with the statute by the officersand employees of the covered entities.The Title II Administrative Simplification Security Rule states thatspecific security issues related to transmitting and storing patientdata must be addressed. Safeguard initiatives where solutions must beimplemented include:Security Management ProcessAdministrative SafeguardsAssigned Security ResponsibilityWorkforce SecurityInformation Access ManagementSecurity Awareness and TrainingSecurity Incident ProceduresContingency PlanEvaluationBusiness Associate Contracts and Other ArrangementsPhysical SafeguardsFacility Access ControlsWorkstation UseWorkstation SecurityDevice and Media ControlsTechnical SafeguardsAccess ControlAudit ControlsIntegrityPerson or Entity AuthenticationTransmission SecurityTo comply with HIPAA regulations and protect patient information,healthcare organizations need to update their legacy computer systems,ramping up their information security capabilities, and defining andimplementing business processes that align with security objectives. The HIPAA Security Standards do not specify particular technologyrequirements, so each affected healthcare organization must assess itsown risk and develop security measures accordingly. Organizations mustthen certify their security programs through self-certification or by aprivate accreditation entity. Addressing the HIPAA Security Rule and implementing the technical,administrative, and physical safeguards that will ensure compliancerequires a comprehensive information security program.
Patient,Information,The,HIPAA,