The HIPAA Guidelines And How Carepatron Supports You

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) serves as the foundation for monitoring how health insurance and patient data is secured and transmitted. The guidelines outline the requirements that healthcare businesses and practices must adhere to, in order to ensure confidentiality and privacy of patient data, as well as make sure that all handling, transferring, sharing, and receiving of information is secure. 

HIPAA supports businesses to receive health insurance coverage when needed, which includes around 200 million Americans and helps those who have lost their jobs and experience reduced healthcare. It ensures that there are industry-wide standards for medical billing and coding processes, and also demands that healthcare businesses implement security protocols to always protect health information. HIPAA is a fantastic way to elevate the quality of your healthcare service and allows you to rest easy knowing your patient’s sensitive information is kept private and continually protected.

There are 5 main HIPAA guidelines to adhere to that ensure you are compliant and fulfilling legal obligations, in addition to prioritizing patient data and informational needs. HIPAA privacy and compliance programs are the best way to implement medical billing and coding processes and make sure that you support confidentiality in your practice. Considering the following factors will immensely boost patient satisfaction, as well as ensure that your information is highly secure and private. 

• Privacy - The privacy rule outlines the various conditions and disclosures that cannot be conducted without patient authorization. Every patient has the right to have control over their private information, which includes being able to have access to their patient data, medical history, and any medication forms, finances, and treatment plans. Patients need to be able to correct their information if desired, as well as obtain a copy of their files on demand. 
• Security - This refers to the regulation and security protocols that protect patient information, and ensure that it is accessible to only authorized users. It outlines the authentication and encryption standards you should implement to safeguard your information. Security rules also concern risk assessment and management processes concerning software and hardware technologies that may be vulnerable to hacking or data leakages.
• Transaction - This concerns HIPAA codes in transactions, inclusive of ICD-9, ICD-10, HCPCS, CPT-3, CPT-4, and NDC codes. Using the right security codes ensures that billing and coding processes are in accordance with regulations, which helps speed up business transactions and standards. 
• Identifiers - There are three major identifiers for healthcare businesses that use HIPAA regulations, including National Provider Identifier (NPI), National Health Plan Identifier (NHI), and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The NPI is a 10-digit number that covers the healthcare businesses used in every HIPAA transaction, with NHIs used for a health plan and payer identification, and CMS correlating to their codes. ‍
• Enforcement - Derived from ARRA HITECH ACT provisions, this outlines five areas that healthcare businesses need to respect. This includes the application of HIPAA security requirements, the mandatory formation of federal privacy and security breach reporting requirements, marketing and sales restrictions, as well as the creation of criminal and civil penalties, and non-compliant enforcement methods. These enforcement rules encourage and promote healthcare businesses to stick to HIPAA regulations, and implement universal security protocol to protect patient and business data from any potential breaches.

Carepatron is one of the leading software options for healthcare businesses, that not only supports clinics through a variety of application features but also provides a secure storage facility for patient data. In accordance with HIPAA guidelines, Carepatron’s software allows for patient information to be encrypted and stored confidentially, with medical compliance and security you can count on.

• Exceeding standards - Carepatron’s software tools are compliant with HIPAA, HITRUST, and GDPR standards, as well as complying with Australian Privacy Principles. Carepatron meets and exceeds these standards with their software services and advanced technology that continues to prioritize data safety and security.
• Bank-level encryption - Using multiple layers of AES-256 encryption, Carepatron protects sensitive patient information through all business processes. Data is protected during the electronic transmission and storage process, and is encrypted with the same procedures as financial institutions. This means that your data is treated as private financial information, with heavy security protocol, and restricted access to authorized users. With these practices in place, hacking this information has never been more difficult. 
• 24/7 monitoring - Carepatron’s AWS servers are controlled at the perimeter, as well as at entry points by personnel. Systems are monitored by professional staff through video surveillance, intrusion detection systems, as well as other electronic methods, all to ensure that there is also a physical layer of protection for your data. Having this additional layer increases the difficulty of information being leaked or hacked, and prevents sensitive patient data from being compromised. ‍
• Cloud accreditations and certifications - Carepatron is partnered with Amazon web services (AWS) to achieve three levels of certifications. These include PCI DSS Level 1, or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, FIPS 140-2, or United States Federal Information Processing Standard, and ISO 27001, or Information Security Management System. This means that all online payments are highly secure, and all systems work in a coalition with information processing standards.

Protecting your data doesn’t have to be complicated, and there are simple things you can do to increase security without needing to install advanced software or outsource security experts. Incorporating these aspects will immensely improve the state of your security, and work towards preserving confidential patient data and secure electronic health records.

• Install security updates - Ensure that you have the latest security technology to combat potential hacks or data leakages.
• Use strong passwords - Make sure you use strong passwords that have upper and lower case letters, as well as numbers and special characters. These should not be shared with anyone, and need to be kept in a safe location.
• Do not share access - Everything in your practice should be kept within it. This means that you should not share passwords with anyone, and only authorized users should access information. 
• Always use passwords - All devices should have passwords to allow for authorized access
• Enable two-factor authentication - Two-factor authentication is a great way to authenticate the identity of users and provide an additional layer of security. 

Take home message

As an integral component of every healthcare business, HIPAA guidelines ensure that patient information and data are kept private, and that confidentiality is maintained. Through evaluation of HIPAA guidelines by healthcare professionals, you can minimize risks of data leakages and hacks, as well as protect from any potential security breaches. Advanced software platforms, such as Carepatron, support businesses by providing encrypted servers and authentication processes to ensure that only authorized users have access to specific information. However, regardless of your decision to use such platforms, you must establish a security protocol that prevents critical information from being compromised. 

Further reading:

• Protected Health Information: Who, When and for What?
• HIPAA Security Rule