Have you ever wondered why doctors only answer some questions over the phone and not others? Have you tried to get information about a sick friend only to be left without any answers?
HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is what stands in your way and is difficult to understand.
There are four key aspects of HIPAA that are important for patients to know and understand. These aspects include privacy of health information, security of health data, notification of breaches of medical records and a patient’s right to obtain copies of healthcare data.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule enacted in 2002, restricts who is able to view healthcare data Healthcare data cannot be shared with any other person or organization without express permission from the patient, according to the HIPAA Journal.
One exception to the rule is that your healthcare data can be shared with business associates which perform healthcare operations services such as transcription services, payment processors or mailing vendors.
In these cases, employees for these organizations must agree to keep the data secure and private by implementing safeguards to ensure that any data created, stored, transmitted or maintained is secure at all times, according to the journal.
Healthcare employees must also be trained on how to recognize threats like phishing emails and other email or internet threats. These measures ensure that hackers cannot gain access to any patient’s healthcare data.
According to HIPPA, doctors can’t speak to just anyone about your healthcare. Patients must indicate who they want to grant access to their information. Who is designated can change at the discretion of the patient but generally includes named family, friends and caregivers.
Most importantly, HIPAA gives patients full rights to obtain copies of their own health information, allowing patients to take on an active role and be their own advocate.
Taking advantage of obtaining a copy of one's own medical information allows for a smoother transition when changing doctors. There are still some HIPAA restrictions that prevent a comprehensive exchange of medical information among healthcare providers. By having your own copies of your medical records data can more easily be shared with a new medical provider or even a research organization.
Obtaining a copy of your own health data is to check the records for any errors or anything that causes confusion. If a mistake is found and patients can clear up any confusion with the medical provider promptly.
