Operating a health-care service comes with a lot more legalities and steps than other businesses do. The various regulations for clinics and other health-care-related businesses ensure that all parties involved are healthy, safe, and protected. They create safer conventions directed toward various aspects, from a person’s general well-being to their privacy. Whether you manage or work in a hospital, dental practice, or general health clinic, understanding HIPAA, the HITECH ACT, and the Omnibus Rule plays an important role in your safety, the safety of your clients, and the success of your service.
HIPAA Compliance
“HIPAA” refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It regulates the safety and security of patients’ protected health information (PHI), establishing various standards pertaining to who has access to one’s PHI and the electronic handling of information. Both the HITECH Act and the Omnibus Rule affect and play a part in mandatory HIPAA compliance.
HITECH Act
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) is one of the many regulations implemented in HIPAA protocols. It was enacted as a means to encourage health services to switch to a more digital way of handling, collecting, and sharing PHI. The HITECH Act creates a more efficient system that reduces the costs of mailing and printing hard copies of PHI, the industry’s environmental footprint, and the time spent on handling and recovering patients’ records. Promoting a digitized system also allows for better security protocols and tracking of information handling and access.
Omnibus Rule
The Omnibus Rule enhances and concludes the HITECH Act, providing a final set of standards for digitizing PHI handling. It’s designed to improve various security measures for electronic procedures in the health-care industry, to create more flexibility for entitled entities, and to coordinate regulations with those enforced by the Office for Human Research Protections. Omnibus features four main standards: HIPAA’s Privacy, Security, and Enforcement Rules; the HIPAA Enforcement Rule; breach notification for unsecured PHI; and the implementation of regulations set by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).
As a health-care provider, what you really need to know about the HITECH Act and the Omnibus Rule is that both encourage the use of digitized PHI, with a set of safety standards and enhanced HIPAA regulations. When you gain your HIPAA certification online with Gamma Compliance, you’ll uncover all the various regulations, acts, and rules implemented in HIPAA, including the HITECH Act and its Omnibus Rule.