What is a HIPAA Medical Release Form?

A HIPAA medical release form is an authorization form required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) when a covered health plan or healthcare provider uses or discloses Protected Health Information for a purpose not required or permitted by the HIPAA Privacy Rule. One of the objectives of the Health Insurance Portability and … Read more

What Information is Protected by HIPAA?

PHI is protected by HIPAA. PHI is any health information that can be linked to a person, which under HIPAA means protected health information that includes one or more of the below listed 18 identifiers. PHI only refers to information on patients or health plan subscribers. It does not incorporate information stated in educational and … Read more

What Does PHI Stand For?

PHI stands for Protected Health Information, something that is often referred to in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and similar legislation including the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). PHI includes any data linked to or regarding a patient, a patient’s healthcare or the payment for that healthcare … Read more

HIPAA Compliant Email Providers

HIPAA-covered outfits must make sure protected health information (PHI) shared via email is secured to stop unauthorized individuals from intercepting messages, and many opt to use HIPAA compliant email providers to ensure appropriate security measures are in placeto ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI. There are a large number of HIPAA compliant email … Read more

What is Considered PHI Under HIPAA?

PHI, under HIPAA, is any identifiable health information that is used, maintained, managed, or transmitted by a HIPAA-covered outfit – such as a healthcare provider, health plan or health insurer, or a healthcare clearinghouse or a business associate of a HIPAA-covered entity – with regard to the provision of healthcare or financial payment for healthcare … Read more

HIPAA Compliant Texting

HIPAA does not outright forbid sending PHI by text, but – in order for texting to be HIPAA compliant texting – security measures must be in place to ensure the confidentiality of PHI when it is at rest and on the move. There also has to be a strategy in place to manage who can … Read more

Why is HIPAA Important to Patients?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a landmark piece of legislation and its significance should not be lost on people. It introduced major amendment that benefited to the healthcare industry and patients when it was was introduced in 1996. Its initial aim was to address one particular issue: Insurance coverage for individuals … Read more

What is Protected Health Information?

Due to the complexity of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, it can sometimes be difficult to find an accurate answer to the question what is Protected Health Information. This article explains not only what Protected Health Information is, but why it is importantly to fully understand the term´s meaning.   Protected Health Information is a term frequently used … Read more

Is Google Voice HIPAA Compliant?

Google Voice is a widely-used and intuitive speech communication platform that includes voicemail, voicemail transcription to text, the functionality to share text messages free of charge, and many other useful things. It is therefore no shock that many healthcare workers would like to use the service at work, as well as for personal use. For … Read more

HIPAA Stories

Listed here are a variety of HIPAA articles that give further information and guidance on HIPAA compliance for healthcare suppliers, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and business associates of covered outfits. These articles include corrections of HIPAA Rules, proposed amendments, and new guidance published by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, … Read more