Are You HIPAA Compliant?

Whenever you are working with sensitive medical information, you must always make sure that you are complying with the guidelines set forth by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA was passed by Congress in 1996 to establish a national standard for the security of health data, in order to protect the privacy of the patient. If you work in the medical billing industry, it is absolutely vital that you comply with HIPAA and the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Privacy Rule. Failure to do so can have a number of serious consequences, including loss of accreditation, federal lawsuits, financial penalties, and even imprisonment for up to 10 years. Unfortunately, your billing career will likely be a complete loss as well. How can you avoid these violations? Always begin by making sure that any software you invest in is HIPAA compliant, complete with password protection and encryption technology, in order to safeguard patient data. If you need any additional guidance, try consulting the government’s official HIPAA website.