What is HIPAA?

 

Most likely if you have been to the doctor’s office recently you have heard of a term called HIPAA.  You many have even signed documentation in regards to HIPAA. What is HIPAA and how does it help you as a patient? HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.  The main goal of HIPAA is to make it easier for people to keep health insurance, protect the confidentiality and security of healthcare information and help the healthcare industry control administrative costs.

How can your physician’s office help keep your health information safe and private?   Have you noticed that in most doctors’ offices, patients are only called back to exam rooms by their first name.  This is to help with patient privacy.  When using an electronic medical records program, safety measures are put in place as far as who can access your medical records.  EMR systems are encrypted at high levels to ensure that they cannot be tampered with.  Strict measures are also taken when communicating with patients over the phone, to ensure that we are speaking directly with the patient to prevent your private information from being given to anyone else.  We value our patient's privacy.