What are protected health information?
Health Protected Information is information about patients that are legally protected from unauthorized publication. This includes personal data such as age, social security number, date of birth and family status, as well as clinical information such as symptoms, diagnoses, treatment and prognosis. It also includes financial information such as insurance information and payments history. The protection of these private information was created by the Porterability and Responsibility of Health Insurance of 1996 (HIPAA).
Section One of the Hipaa II HIPAA is known as the Privacy Rule of Personal Data. This part of the law states that protected health information can only be shared under certain circumstances. It also provides that when the information is shared, it shares only the minimum required information.
Private health information can be shared in an effort to provide the patient the best possible treatment. For exampleCH drug allergies. The hospital can share this information with a surgeon and anesthesiologist, although these experts are probably more independent suppliers than hospital staff because they will need it to provide the patient's best possible care.
In some cases, sharing private health information is required by law. In case of suspicion of children's abuse, the attending physician is obliged to notify the correct authorities. In some places, the hospitals must report certain incidents such as rape or gunshot examinations to the police. You may also need to report occurrence of serious, contagious diseases.
Healthcare providers routinely ask patients to sign the "payer". This form allows the Provider to share the necessary information with the patient insurance provider to pay the claims. Many such editions Also make up a language to allow PSecurers share specific information with collection agencies if the patient cannot pay her part of the account.
The patient may also decide to allow the provider to share her protected health information with friends, relatives or other providers. Such options must occur in writing and must specify the name of a person or entity. Patients may also specify the type of information that may be shared and can assign an expiry date to issue.
HIPAA also deals with protected health information in Part Three Head II, known as the safety rule. This rule specifically applies to protected health information stored in electronic format. It requires healthcare providers to set adequate measures to ensure that patients' information remain confidential. This includes physical measures such as locked doors to storage rooms; administrative measures such as development and promotion of personal data protection principles;And technological measures, such as protection of the patient's electronic files.