{"id":1689,"date":"2021-05-24T12:20:06","date_gmt":"2021-05-24T12:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newjerseyaddictioninterventions.com\/?page_id=1689"},"modified":"2022-06-22T06:55:11","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T06:55:11","slug":"health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-hipaa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/newjerseyaddictioninterventions.com\/health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-hipaa\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span>Understanding The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)<\/span><\/h2>\n

When seeking addiction treatment, a major concern of many patients is the privacy and security of their health information. There are several federal laws that regulate the use and disclosure of health information as well as security safeguards to protect said information. The primary law that protects this information is known as HIPAA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, better known as HIPAA. This federal law created a set of national standards that are meant to protect patients\u2019 private health information from being discussed or disclosed without their written consent.<\/p>\n

There are two primary parts to HIPAA: the Privacy Rule and the Security Rule. Both have detailed requirements outlining the privacy and security of all patients\u2019 health information.<\/p>\n

<\/span>What Does HIPAA Do?<\/span><\/h2>\n

HIPAA is the law that makes sure patients\u2019 health information remains private and confidential. It accomplishes four main goals:<\/p>\n

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  1. Reduces health care abuse and fraud<\/li>\n
  2. Requires providers to handle protected health information (PHI) in a confidential manner<\/li>\n
  3. Mandates standards for the entire healthcare industry on electronic billing and other processes<\/li>\n
  4. Gives American workers and their families the ability to transfer or change their insurance coverage when changing jobs<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    People and organizations that must follow HIPAA guidelines and regulations are referred to as \u201ccovered entities.\u201d Virtually anyone who handles patient medical information is considered a covered entity. Covered entities that are subject to HIPAA include:<\/p>\n