Hippa is a federal law more than a healthcare policy.
Hippa is a federal law that requires the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being seen or disclosed without the patients knowledge or consent.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule and Hippa law establishes national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other individually identifiable health information (collectively defined as “protected health information”) and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Public Law 104-191, was enacted on August 21, 1996.
HIPAA policies and procedures are comprehensive guidelines that healthcare organizations must implement and regularly update to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information, addressing areas like patient rights, data protection, staff training, and response to privacy breaches.
The HIPAA law doesn't strictly apply to hospitals and physicians.
While the requirements of the HIPPA law are intended primarily for health plans and providers, they also extend to business associates such as law firms, attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, consultants, and advisors.
A HIPAA violation refers to the failure to comply with HIPAA rules, which can include unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI), failure to provide patients with access to their PHI, lack of safeguards to protect PHI, failure to conduct regular risk assessments, or insufficient.
Anyone who "knowingly" obtains or discloses individually identifiable health information, in violation of the Administrative Simplification Regulations, face a fine of up to $50,000.00, as well as imprisonment up to 1 year.
Jail terms for HIPAA violations by employees are relatively rare, but there have been several cases where employee HIPAA violations have been referred to the Department of Justice and have resulted in financial penalties and jail time.