HIPAA Privacy – Safe Guarding and Securing Patient Data

HIPAA Privacy – Safe Guarding and Securing Patient Data
Robert N. Reges
DeVry University/ HSM 410
Professor Anthony LaBonte
12 December 2010

Abstract
According to section 1.07 of the APA Publication Manual [ (Ame01) ], “An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the article; it allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly, and like a title, it enables abstracting and information services to index and retrieve articles” (p. 12).
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HIPAA Privacy – Safe Guarding and Securing Patient Data

It has been said time and time again that life was much less complicated at the turn of the 20th Century and this saying could not be truer when it comes to medicine. At the turn of the 1900’s there was a personal bond between the provider and the patient, between the provider and the community, and between citizens in the community. In small towns across the nation there was less of a sense of privacy & individualism and more emphasis on helping your neighbor; because of this medical privacy was not a concern. You cannot help your neighbor if you are not aware of their issues. If we fast forward to the year 2010 times have changed significantly; with the advent of technology the American culture has changed. Personal information is no longer just stored on paper in the doctor’s office, patient information is stored in vast computer banks and sold like stocks and bonds on Wall Street; all of a sudden personal privacy is no longer private. Therefore the federal government had to step in and put a halt to this travesty of invasion of privacy. One of the best medical laws that were ever written is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules. Protecting, safe guarding and securing patient data is paramount in