HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was enacted in 1996 with several key objectives in mind:
- Protecting Health Information Privacy: One of the primary reasons for HIPAA is to safeguard the privacy and security of individuals’ medical records and other personal health information. This is achieved through the establishment of national standards for the protection of health information, ensuring that patient data remains confidential and is accessed only by authorized individuals (Paubox Email) (Pharmaceutical Technology).
- Ensuring Health Insurance Portability: HIPAA helps individuals maintain health insurance coverage when they change or lose their jobs. This aspect of the act ensures that people can continue to have access to health insurance and are not denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions or changes in employment (Paubox Email).
- Reducing Healthcare Fraud and Abuse: The act includes provisions to combat healthcare fraud and abuse. This is done through the establishment of standards for electronic health transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans, and employers. These measures help to streamline healthcare administration and reduce fraudulent activities within the system (Paubox Email) (Pharmaceutical Technology).
- Improving Efficiency in Healthcare: By standardizing the electronic transmission of administrative and financial transactions, HIPAA aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system. This includes reducing the paperwork burden on healthcare providers and ensuring that healthcare information is shared in a secure and efficient manner (Pharmaceutical Technology).
- Ensuring Security of Electronic Health Data: HIPAA also addresses the need for securing electronic health information through the Security Rule, which sets standards for the protection of electronic PHI (ePHI). This includes requirements for physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to protect data integrity, confidentiality, and availability (Paubox Email).
These goals collectively aim to enhance the protection of health information, improve the portability of health insurance, reduce healthcare fraud, and improve the overall efficiency and security of the healthcare system.