The Importance of Accountability in Safeguarding Health Information

1. What is the abbreviation for HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is known by the abbreviated term “HIPAA.”

2. What are some of the rights under HIPAA?

Some of the rights under HIPAA may include:

To see or get a copy of your medical records
Sometimes, you will not be able to see certain parts of the health record, but you always have the right to ask.
If you find a mistake in your records, you have the right to request it to be corrected.
If you disagree with your doctor or health plan about certain information in your record, you will have a right to get a statement of agreement that will be kept in your record.
You also have the right to know how your health information is being used and shared.
You have the right to say how you want to be contacted. For i.e., “You can tell your provider what phone number they should contact you and whether they can leave a message.”
To request information not to be shared with certain people or organizations.
You have the right to file a complaint should you think that these rights have been violated.
In general, providers can’t send information to your employer without your permission.
You have the right to get a report known as “Accounting of Disclosures” if you want to know any of this information.
The Notice of Privacy Practices is posted in the patient’s viewing area within organizations to be reminded of their rights being protected at all times.

3. Do you think this law is important?

This law is extremely important as it is very easy to breach confidential information without thinking about it, and we have to put ourselves in other people’s shoes and really think before we speak or act…With all due respect for individuals, it’s best to keep things to ourselves as you don’t know who is watching or listening, even if you may think they’re not, which goes the same for us, and vice versa. One person can know another person who knows someone else, and before long, everyone knows something about someone who wasn’t intended to know certain information about that particular person.

The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act has law regulations that, if breached, consequences may be endured depending on the severity, which is held to high standards to protect the privacy rights of individuals. Another point to mention is that we are the gatekeepers of our own health information… we can give people permission to have access to our records provided we share that with them. There are instances when permission is not needed, and that would be in the care of having doctors correspond with other colleagues of the same expertise to work together to figure out a treatment or when you’re sick, or when you report the flu in your area.