Richard AgamaWorkers in the health-care industry don’t just improve people’s lives; they also work with sensitive information, interact with chemicals, and endure multiple exposure risks. To ensure the safety of patients and professionals, the health-care industry comes with specific technical and legal requirements, such as HIPAA compliance. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) mandates national standards to protect patients’ sensitive personal information. It also helps medical professionals and businesses in numerous ways. Here’s how HIPAA regulations benefit medical professionals.
Encourages Technological Upgrades
A major factor of HIPAA is its Privacy Rule, which ensures the proper security measures for handling people’s sensitive protected health information (PHI). As technology became a more prominent player in the industry, the Privacy Rule developed into the Security Rule, which mandates standards for electronic PHI security. With the Security Rule in place, medical professionals can upgrade their practices with more technological advancements, such as e-filing and electronic transactions. This rule also makes transferring records to approved entities easier and more secure than faxing or mailing them.
Strengthens Relationship With Patients
HIPAA’s enforced security standards for patients’ PHI strengthen relationships between professionals and clients. Knowing their PHI is secure in the reliable hands of professionals who respect their rights, patients gain the trust of their medical experts and feel more at ease in their care. The more trust and comfort visitors feel in a medical office, the more likely they are to return and continue using those services. Plus, HIPAA builds bonds between patients and professionals, as it encourages communication between the two parties as they discern who gains approval to access records.
Develops Ethical Practices
HIPAA ensures that patients can practice their personal rights in the medical industry, allowing them to oversee who has access to their sensitive information. They even gain the ability to request changes and see if their records include accurate information. Giving patients autonomy over their sensitive personal data establishes ethical practices to prevent potential abuses of power and other harms that may occur if the information lands in the wrong hands. Medical professionals benefit from practicing ethical etiquette, as it further builds trust in the system, improves relationships, enhances the industry, and builds a better repertoire.
Reduces Liability Burdens
Since HIPAA gives patients authority over who has access to their information and lists the entities allowed to legally obtain a patient’s PHI, HIPAA reduces liability burdens on medical professionals, businesses, and organizations. Once a patient discerns who can claim access to their records, the responsibility of securing their PHI follows those who gain access. So although a medical office is still accountable for securing the information in its system, it won’t face repercussions for any subsequent actions under another’s watch. Plus, if the practice complies with HIPAA regulations, any issues that might arise with the PHI and its security aren’t the practice’s fault, since it followed all the legal requirements.
Despite the range of common misconceptions about HIPAA, HIPAA regulations benefit medical professionals in various ways. With HIPAA compliance, medical professionals can fully reap the rewards of their jobs and work in ethical, safe, productive atmospheres.
