Understanding HIPAA
HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act is a set of regulations enacted back in the 90s as a multi- tiered approach to improve our health insurance system.
All healthcare entities that use, store, maintain or transmit patient health information must comply to a list of rules set forth by HIPAA. These rules are basically this …. You the patient can decide who can have access to your medical records. For your records to be transferred from one entity to another you must sign a medical release form. This form is signed in person at a physician’s office or a hospital and can be faxed or emailed to another physician or hospital. Your records can not be requested over the telephone.
These rules are set in place so that you can control who has access to your medical history. Each physicians office or hospital has a staff member trained to answer questions and help to make sure that these rules are followed, so if you ever have a question just ask!
