Canadian customers, please see our PIPEDA policy
What is HIPAA?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a US law which was passed into law in August 1996 with two main intentions:
- Improved efficiency in healthcare delivery by standardizing electronic data interchange, and
- Protection of confidentiality and security of health data through setting and enforcing standards.
More specifically, HIPAA introduces rules which ensure:
- Standardization of electronic patient health, administrative and financial data
- Unique health identifiers for individuals, employers, health plans and health care providers
- Security standards protecting the confidentiality and integrity of "individually identifiable health information," past, present or future.
Who must comply with HIPAA?
Virtually all healthcare organizations – including all healthcare providers, health plans, public health authorities, healthcare clearinghouses, and self-ensured employers – as well as life insurers, information systems vendors, various service organizations, and universities.
Are there penalties for violation?
HIPAA calls for severe civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance, including:
– fines up to $25K for multiple violations of the same standard in a calendar year
– fines up to $250K and/or imprisonment up to 10 years for knowing misuse of individually identifiable health information
How does Patient Prompt™ comply with the HIPAA security and privacy rules?
Business Associate: Patient Prompt™ will become a business associate with your organization.
Disclosure: Patient Prompt™ will not use or disclose PHI in any manner which violates HIPAA Privacy Standards.
Encryption of data: All communications with Patient Prompt™ are sent through a secure 128-bit encrypted SSL tunnel between your office and the Patient Prompt™ datacenter.
Physical security: Patient Prompt™ servers are located in state-of-the-art data centers that provide a highly secure physical infrastructure, including the latest in biometric authentication, video surveillance, and round-the-clock security officers. Patient Prompt™ data centers are engineered to eliminate any single point of failure, with multiple layers of redundancy in power systems, HVAC, and fire detection and suppression. All systems are monitored 7 x 24.
Are appointment reminders allowed under the HIPAA Privacy Rule without authorizations?
Yes, appointment reminders are considered part of treatment of an individual and, therefore, can be made without an authorization.
Who can I contact for more information on your privacy policies?
Please contact our corporate privacy officer at: privacyofficer@promptalert.com
Note: There is no standard "HIPAA certificate of compliance" for appointment confirmation services. For more information about HIPAA and HIPAA compliance, contact your legal counsel or refer to the HIPAA section of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' website: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/
|
