HIPAA and Telehealth/Telemedicine

Posted by billingfreedom on March 30th, 2021

What Is HIPAA?

HIPAA, stands for the Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Of 1996. It was officially passed by the Congress in 1996. And is a United States legislation that serves to offer data privacy, and other security provisions to efficiently safeguard critical medical information. It has been specifically designed in a manner to avoid, and reduce healthcare fraud and abuse in the industry, by going forth and setting standards for health care information relevant to electronic billing and other processes.

It also calls for complete safety and protection while handling patient records and specific patient health information. This particular aspect has been addressed, and is covered by the Privacy Rule, as well as the Security Rule – which is highly relevant to telemedicine.

The HIPAA Privacy Rule

The HIPAA Privacy Rule sets the groundwork for the national standards, that protect individual’s medical records, as well as other personal information. It applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and pertains to those particular healthcare providers that conduct healthcare functions electronically. The rule refers to only minimum health information being shared or used, when necessary.

The HIPAA Security Rule

The HIPAA Security Rule is in line with Protected Health Information in general. It tallies with electronic Protected Health Information. Essentially, it formulates the standards for securing patient data that may be stored or transferred through electronic means. Three main areas of protection are covered; physical, administrative, and technical.

Entities That Are Covered

The HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules are applicant only on certain entities. Those entities include medical clearinghouses, insurers, healthcare service providers, and insurers. Employer sponsored health plans also fall under the same umbrella.

A business associate refers to an entity that will perform activities on behalf of a covered entity. For instance, accountants, attorneys, transcription services, etc. The discourse with HIPAA is such that covered entities agree to contracts with business associates. Therefore, any individual that has access to protected data, will have to deal with it with the same level of care, and responsibility.

On the same note, being able to outsource medical billing services is a great plus. In the coding and billing process, your billing partner will ensure no information gets into the wrong hands, and will take all measures and precautions necessary to protect patient data.

Telemedicine And HIPAA

Telemedicine has gained numerous traction over recent years, particularly during the COVID – 19 Pandemic. There are patient privacy and confidentiality requirements for patients visiting a practice – and the same rules and regulations apply to telemedicine, or online consultations.

The provider has to take responsibility for the protection of patient information. Any storage of electronic files, images, and videos, needs to be handled with the same amount of care and caution, as one would with physical documents.

However, there are certain platforms that are not encrypted. For example, Skype and Facetime do not align with HIPAA compliant video conferencing regulations. Therefore, they should be avoided for patient consultations or when handling critical patient data.

The provider should look into the updated laws in telemedicine technology, and ensure they are not storing videos and are making full use of encrypted data transmission.

The partner in technology should also be willing to enter a business associate’s agreement.

Patient Privacy Concerns

Every patient has the full right to enquire about their privacy, and what measures the provider is taking to protect their information. Even if it is a remote medical consultation. Providers should actively take steps to inform their patients about the steps that are being taken, to secure their confidential information.

It is critical for your patients to know how seriously you take their privacy concerns, and how closely your practice adheres to HIPAA regulations.

A telehealth program is a need of this time, and it is imperative for this innovation to be embraced whole heartedly, yet securely, to ensure each person involved in the process feels secure.

Billing Freedom is a detail oriented medical billing company, focused on bringing about a healthier cash flow for your practice, and providing customized solutions to billing problems. Reach out to a team of experts, well versed in the ins and outs of the industry. At Billing Freedom, we ensure enhanced revenue cycle management.