Home

  • Home
    • » e-Newsletters

HIPAA deadline right around the corner

Healthcare Security Weekly, April 18, 2005

Approximately 26% of hospitals say they are only about 50% compliant with the latest aspect of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), even though the deadline to comply is this Wednesday, according to a study by the American Health Information Management Association.

The law states that all healthcare providers implement national standards to protect patient privacy, including protecting their identities when admitted into a facility and securing their information during online communications.

Two years ago, the HIPAA forced healthcare providers to undergo major renovations to change the way they relate medical information to others, like restricting the release of information without the patient's consent.

In total, the American Hospital Association estimates that the healthcare industry has spent $40 billion on HIPAA compliance.

The next HIPAA deadline is in 2007 when healthcare providers must modernize the way it identifies healthcare providers for billing purposes.

Most Popular