Thursday, May 06, 2010

New Article - HIPAA, Not HIPPO

While HIPAA was signed into federal law nearly a decade ago, it still seems to cause much confusion.  While you may hear about it regularly at the doctor’s office and the pharmacy, do you really know what it is or what you’re signing? 

 Let’s begin with its acronym.  Many times it is mistyped as HIPPA or even mistaken for HIPPO.  But, be assured there is no mention of a hippopotamus in HIPAA!  It actually stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which was finalized in 2000 and modified in 2002.  In that Act was a requirement that the government establish a set of national standards for the protection of certain health information, which is commonly referred to as the “Privacy Rule.” 

For more of this article here is the link http://vtelaw.com/index.aspx?TypeContent=ARTICLES&Art_Title=HIPAA,_not_HIPPO_(5_2010)&art_id=1759