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The Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) has become a topic of
interest lately. Open any healthcare industry publication and you'll
find at least one, and probably several articles and references to
HIPAA and what it means to physicians, other healthcare providers,
insurance companies, and manufacturers of healthcare technology.
Still, all of the information floating around about HIPAA and its
far reaching implications can be overwhelming and somewhat
confusing; especially since the HIPAA regulations have not even been
finalized. MEDSYS2 is fully committed to helping you understand how
to address the HIPAA regulations that may affect the MEDSYS2
software.
What
is HIPAA?
HIPAA
proposes regulatory provisions regarding administrative
simplifications, including the standardization of electronic
transactions such as claims, remittance, and eligibility information,
which will simplify the administrative burden currently placed on
healthcare providers. The part of the act that specifies
standards for electronic transactions will have the most immediate
impact on providers and payers.
HIPAA also proposes regulations
regarding the privacy and security of patient data.
Work continues on these standards, and they are expected
to change periodically.
When
will HIPAA affect you?
The
HIPAA administrative simplification regulations are expected to be
finalized in the near future, perhaps by the time you are reading
this article. Healthcare providers and insurance plans will
then have two years from the time the rules are finalized to
implement any necessary changes for HIPAA compliance. It is
expected that most insurance plans will begin accepting HIPAA
compliant electronic transactions well in advance of the two year
deadline.
What
are we doing to help?
HIPAA has selected ANSI
X12 as the standard for electronic transactions. MEDSYS2
has developed compliant exchange interface to meet this
standard. MEDSYS2 has already implemented data encryption
and user level security controls. MEDSYS2 provides transaction
logging mechanism to track access to and the distribution
of electronic medical records. We are also finalizing
our integration of Digital Signature technology.
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