HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA was passed by the United States Congress in 1996. This law was passed for several reasons. Many people that are not familiar with the term are unsure of it’s important in their lives. HIPAA is a very important regulation of healthcare that relates to every American. You should be aware of the importance of HIPAA and what it does for you. Below are some of the important reasons why HIPAA was put into place.

4 Important Aspects HIPAA Was Made To Enforce

• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed by Congress to improve the continuity and portability of health insurance coverage. HIPAA is designed to protect your health insurance coverage if you lose your job or change jobs. Health insurance is a major priority and no one should be left without a means of having coverage. HIPAA helps to protect everyone from ending up in a situation where they can not purchase insurance.

• Another reason HIPAA was instilled was to combat fraud, waste, and abuse in health care insurance and delivery. This protects our important and confidential information. As our information is passed along for one reason or another, this means several different people are looking at your personal information. To keep your information protected and private the rules and regulations of HIPAA have been enforced.

• HIPAA was also created to help reduce the cost of administrative health care needs. To accomplish this HIPAA has set a standardized set of rules for delivering health

 

care information electronically. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act has standardized the interchange of electronic data for administrative and financial transactions in the healthcare fields.

• One of the main focuses of HIPAA upon patients is the protection of one’s personal privacy. With HIPAA personal health records are to be kept confidential. This means that no health care employee can discuss your information with anyone else. Several people can view your file as it is passed through healthcare facilities so it is important that all workers remain professional and keep your information classified.

As you now know the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act effects every American citizen. Whether you are a patient or a healthcare worker these regulations are very important to you. Your privacy is very important to you. Knowing that your healthcare facility follows HIPAA regulations is very comforting. You know that your sensitive information will be protected and secure. If you are a healthcare professional these regulations are a requirement of your job.

If you are required to have HIPAA training for your job, it can be completed in several different ways. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability training is available online or through a classroom. These two methods offer a variety for those of you required to take the course. Online training can give you the freedom to complete the training at your own pace and schedule. While classroom based training might be a better choice for you since some of us learn more easily this way. Either method you choose will lead you through the training. You will be on your way to becoming HIPAA certified.