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HIPAA Privacy Standards

Uncertain of how safe and secure electronic transactions are, most patients are demanding that healthcare organizations protect the individual's right to privacy. Privacy is a critical foundation for the ability to move toward electronic transactions and new e-health strategies.

These privacy rules outline specific rights for individuals regarding protected health information and obligations of healthcare providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses. This HIPAA Privacy rule will:

• Require consent to use protected health information for treatment, payment and operations for healthcare;
• Allow health information to be disclosed without patient authorization for certain purposes (such as research, public health and oversight) but only under defined circumstances;
• Require written authorization for use and disclosure of health information for other purposes;
• Create a set of fair information practices to inform patients how their information is used and disclosed, ensure they have access to information about them; and
• Require health plans and providers to maintain administrative and physical safeguards to protect the confidentiality of health information and guard it from unauthorized access.

Under the rule, healthcare providers, health plans and clearinghouses are prohibited from using or disclosing health information except as authorized by the patient or as specifically permitted by the regulation.

It's important to note that these protections are afforded to health information that identifies a specific individual. A healthcare provider, health plan or clearinghouse may use de-identified health information in any way it chooses, as long identifiers have been "stripped" and a key is not disclosed that would allow the information to be re-identified.

To review the regulations in their entirety, go to: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html

search for The Code of Federal Regulations Title 45, Section 160 through 164.

Empire Medical Review Services, Inc
11357 North Port Washington Road
Phone: 262.240.9700
Mequon, Wisconsin 53092