HIPAA and Healthcare
If you work in the healthcare industry, you’re already aware of the need for HIPAA compliance. Most clinical providers have processes in place to ensure HIPAA compliance in all applicable areas of their practice.
However, if you require video conferencing to deliver care, your technology solution must be consistent with the rules of HIPAA. How can you choose the best HIPAA compliant web conferencing? To help you address this question, allow us to break down our discussion into several key points:
- Understanding what HIPAA compliance actually means.
- Which companies and entities are affected by HIPAA compliance?
- HIPAA compliance in the digital era.
- Why is HIPAA video conferencing so important?
- How can you choose the best HIPAA compliant video conferencing?
Understanding What HIPAA Compliance Actually Means
In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, set the standard for protecting sensitive patient data. The law was particularly important within the context of the 2009 HITECH law, which facilitated the implementation of electronic health records (EHR) and the transition to digital patient data. Under HIPAA, all patient data became protected health information (PHI). HIPAA rules require healthcare providers to take steps to protect the flow of PHI between patients, providers, and payers. The goal of the law was to strike a balance between this flow of information while ensuring the privacy of patients.
Consequently, for companies who deal with protected health information, ensuring that the procedures they have in place are HIPAA compliant is vital.
