Importance of HIPAA in New Healthcare Digital Age Introduction The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or as we commonly know it HIPAA was first developed in 1996 not necessarily providing “privacy” to individuals, but rather implementing rules for individuals who may have lost their jobs or changing jobs. It was developed to help protect these individuals regarding their healthcare coverage (Bowers, 2001, para 1). Another part of HIPAA is the protection of protected health information for patients from electronic records and sharing of information among healthcare providers. Healthcare is an ever-changing aspect of society. HIPAA will require constant effort among all healthcare facilities and healthcare personnel, to maintain compliance with the federal regulations of this practice. Digital Importance HIPAA is now more important than ever, since the new federal push from President Obama that healthcare facilities strive for 100% compliance of electronic health records. …show more content…
I can also make a conscious effort not disclose HIPAA related material to my family, friends, or any other acquaintances that do not have direct contact with my assigned patients. In addition, during the times I am gathering information for my nursing care plan, I will make sure all information is kept secured. Understanding that I cannot take information with patient’s name, date of birth, social security number, and address with me outside of my practice location. This information could potentially identify an individual patient, which can create a HIPPA incident. Keeping my patient’s records, health history, or any other information protected is one of my highest priorities during my learning process. Regardless if I am a nursing student or nurse we all can receive legal repercussions for not following HIPAA