What are the basic HIPAA policies? - PDF document

What Are The Basic HIPAA Policies? HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a federal law in the United States that sets standards for protecting sensitive patient health information. Some of the basic HIPAA policies include: Privacy rule: This policy governs the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI) by healthcare providers, health plans, and other covered entities. It gives patients the right to access their PHI, and requires covered entities to obtain writ ten authorization from patients before disclosing their PHI to others. Read More - HIPAA Privacy Policies Security rule: This policy establishes standa rds for safeguarding electronic PHI (ePHI), including measures for preventing unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. Covered entities must implement reasonable and appropriate administrative, physical, and techni cal safeguards to protect ePHI. Breach no tification rule: This policy requires covered entities to notify affected individuals, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and in some cases, the media, if there is a breach of unsecured PHI. A breach is defined as the unauthorized acquisition, acc ess, use, or disclosure of PHI that compromises its security or privacy. More Information - HIPAA Security Policies Enforcement rule: This polic y outlines the procedures for investigating and enforcing HIPAA violations. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for enforcing HIPAA and can impose civil moneta ry penalties for noncompliance. Omnibus rule: This policy updated HIPAA to include changes made under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which strengthened privacy and security protections for PHI. The Omnibus rule also extended the HIPAA requirements to business associates of covered entities, such as contractors and vendors, who handle PHI.