| As the medical community becomes a stronger | | | | dentist. Individuals, business associates and all |
| force to be reckoned with, many people are | | | | covered entities as defined under HIPAA are all |
| fearful of the sheer power hospitals and doctors | | | | affected by the new act. Now, if there is a |
| have over them. Many are afraid that the free | | | | breach of unsecured PHI, the act requires that |
| and easy access to confidential patient files could | | | | individuals be notified of unauthorized disclosures |
| be used against them to the detriment of their | | | | of their private health information. |
| careers, finances and personal lives. Most others | | | | In cases of breach, penalties can be extraordinary. |
| just feel it's an invasion of privacy to give full | | | | This provides another safeguard against leaking |
| access to these records and would like the files | | | | private patient information. Perhaps the worst |
| to be more carefully guarded. For all those | | | | penalty dangling over the heads of the medical |
| concerned, there is good news. | | | | community is the act's requirement that the |
| In early 2009, the Health Information Technology | | | | media must be notified if and when a breach |
| for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) | | | | occurs. This threat of bad PR is strong enough to |
| successfully passed in congress, which led to a | | | | prompt a complete overhaul of most practitioners' |
| new interest in patient privacy rights to sweep | | | | processes and technology. They may start by |
| across the country. This act offers a whole new | | | | auditing the current data encryption methods, |
| level of protection to all Americans who utilize | | | | security and processes to determine the degree |
| health care services and should prevent many | | | | to which the practice or organization is in |
| kinds of insurance fraud and other nightmares. | | | | compliance with the data security requirements of |
| HITECH strongly emphasizes securing protected | | | | HITECH. |
| health information, or PHI for short. It also forces | | | | Whichever doctor or dentist you choose should |
| medical practitioners across the United States to | | | | be running their office in total compliance with the |
| prepare for the secure and safe use of your | | | | protocols set forth by HITECH, and you have a |
| electronic medical records. HITECH does all this by | | | | right to know where they stand on this important |
| changing breach notification requirements for | | | | issue. Get educated about their business and |
| protected information, which affects the business | | | | medical practices so that you can feel secure |
| practices of more than your family doctor or | | | | when you go in for a visit. |