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What Is HIPAA?

Also known as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Act, HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (August 21), Public Law 104-191, which amends the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986.

The Primary Objectives of HIPAA

• Assure health insurance portability by eliminating job-lock due to pre-existing medical conditions.
• Security & Privacy standards protecting the confidentiality and integrity of Protected Health Information (PHI) past, present or future.
• Develop and enforce standards for health information.
• Standardization of electronic patient health, administrative and financial data.
• Unique health identifiers for individuals, employers, health plans and health care providers.
• Reduce healthcare fraud and abuse.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been given enforcement responsibility for HIPAA. HIPAA is federally regulated and violations of HIPAA standards carry very stiff fines and criminal penalties - including multi-year imprisonment.

EBS provides a variety of solutions and services to assist employer in meeting their compliance obligations as mandated by HIPAA.

Covered Entity Decision Tool - helps employers determine if they are a covered entity.