HIPAA Transactions Sets
In response to the HIPAA requirements, Trellis Health Partners, Inc. has
created the software products:
vera practice control® and vera claim control™
These products offered by Trellis Health Partners, Inc. are capable
of creating and conducting
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) transactions in the ANSI X12
formats as required by HIPAA.
To achieve compliance, you must be sure to use the approved
code sets.
Additional information about the transactions and code sets
can be found using the following links:
Washington Publishing Company - HIPAA implementation guides
HIPAA Privacy Rule
This portion of the law deals with protecting the privacy of
patients' Protected Health Information (PHI).
The deadline for
following these requirements began on April 14, 2003 (or April 14, 2004
for small health plans), but, unlike the situation with transactions
and code sets, there have been no contingency exceptions
regarding adhering to the requirements of the Privacy Rule.
The Privacy Rule mandates that a HIPAA covered entity must have
appropriate policies and procedures for limiting access to information that
is considered PHI and when/how PHI can be shared with other parties.
HIPAA ready software like vera practice control® and vera claim control™
can assist in following the Privacy Rule with features like password
protected login and encrypted transmission of EDI data. However, the
bulk of the steps your organization needs to take involve
written policies,
employee training and other administrative changes.
Trellis Health Partners, Inc. recommends that you seek the advice of a qualified
consultant to determine the policies and procedures you
need to become and remain compliant as required by the Privacy Rule.
HIPAA Security
Related to privacy, the Security Rule deals with the
requirements for health information stored electronically and the
steps a covered entity needs to take to keep patients' PHI secure.
The Security Rule compliance deadline is April 20, 2005 (or
April 20, 2006 for small health plans).
This final rule specifies a series of administrative, technical,
and physical security procedures for covered entities to use to
assure the confidentiality of electronic protected health
information. The standards are delineated into either required
or addressable implementation specifications.
HIPAA ready software like vera practice control® and vera claim control™
can assist in following the Security Rule with features like password
protected login and encrypted transmission of EDI data. However, most
of the steps your organization needs to take involve securing
your facilities and electronic equipment as well as
written policies, employee training and other administrative changes.
Following the Security Rule involves consideration of the specifics
of your physical location, computer network, handheld devices, wireless
devices, Internet connections and all places where the security of
PHI must be protected. In addition to policies, training and
administrative changes, your compliance will involve security practices
considered appropriate to protect PHI such as data firewalls,
data encryption, network password policies, and the security of
your facility.
The standard does not address the extent to which a particular entity
should implement the specific features. Instead, the rule requires that
each affected entity assess its own security risks to
devise, implement and maintain appropriate security that address its
business requirements. How individual security requirements are
satisfied is a business decisions that
each organization will have to make.
Because security is intertwined with privacy, covered entities
must implement security procedures before the deadline.
The scope of requirements for the Security Rule are complex ranging from
data networks and equipment to securing your physical locations.
Trellis Health Partners, Inc. recommends that you seek the advice of a qualified
consultant to determine all the steps you will
need to become and remain compliant as required by the Security Rule.
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