HIPAA Information
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996, has two main provisions.
Title I protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs.
Title II, known as the Administrative Simplification provisions, require the establishment of national standards for electronic health care transactions, and national identifiers for health care providers and plans.
The Administrative Simplification provisions of HIPAA also address the privacy and security of health care data. Covered entities may disclose medical record contents to facilitate treatment, payment, or health care operations, or if the entity has received authorization from the patient. Providers must also establish administrative, physical, and technical safeguards against unauthorized access to protected data.
Medical records in any form, including electronic health records, are included in this provision.
Under HIPAA, a hospital may release certain information about the patient only under certain conditions. As long as the patient is informed in advance and does not object, a hospital may disclose certain limited information only to persons who inquire about the patient by name. Members of the Oklahoma media may obtain "A Guide to Hospital & News Media Relations" for a more complete explanation.
Click here or contact OHA at (405) 427-9537,
[email protected].