By Marc Manor
Everyone loves the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), right?
I say that with a little more than a tinge of sarcasm because we all
know that HIPAA is a necessary evil when it comes to protecting our privacy
and, in many cases, our identity.
HIPAA seems like such a necessary requirement that I am
dumbfounded it was not enacted until
1996! I clearly remember the days early
in my military career when we routinely plastered our social security number on
everything we owned as a means of identification! What were we thinking? To think of all the sophisticated computer
hacking that is done to steal someone’s information these days, while for many years,
all someone had to do was pick through the garbage! But I digress!
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| Courtesy Pexels.com |
HIPAA is an essential part of the healthcare industry as
well as affecting everyone who uses any healthcare service. These regulations were enacted for your protection, and
they are interpreted with only the
slightest variation among healthcare providers and insurance companies. Almost all err on the side of caution and
interpret HIPAA with strict adherence. Those
who fail to comply with HIPAA guidelines are subject to fines of up to $50,000
per violation with a maximum $1.5 million annual ceiling. While this measure
ensures compliance, sometimes it can make it difficult to have someone else act
on your behalf with doctors, hospitals, or insurance companies.
