This paper will cover the topic of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and the relationship it has with Management Information Systems (MIS). We will look at some of the rules and regulations that are required in maintaining health information systems as well as some of the benefits that it can provide for patients. We will also examine how MIS is helping to enforce HIPPA and regulate where, when, and how information is stored, accessed, and shared. Through a thorough review of the HIPPA policies that were first put in place in 2003 and the impact they have on healthcare MIS today.
MIS Implications for HIPAA The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act set a national standard for accessing and handling medical information. Before the implementation of HIPAA, the right you had pertaining to the privacy of health information varied depending on what state you resided in. Today, health care providers, health plans and other health care services that operate in all states abide by the minimum standards enforced by HIPAA. (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2003 Revised 2013)
With information technologies rapidly advancing and offering more efficient access and storage to date healthcare provides have shifted from paper files to digital health records. With this transformation it not only poses security concerns but also offers a wide array of compliance control solutions for the enforcement of HIPPA. With the main focus of HIPPA being on the privacy and accessibility of information to patients in regards to their health records the digitalization of these records can improve the ability to comply.
First, let’s take a look at the privacy part of this act and the effects of MIS. The digitalization of records has replaced old paper files that use to line the walls in record rooms. This information was shuffled around healthcare organizations to facilitate the treatment of patients. With the charts moving from one physician to another the information in the chart could easily be accessed by anyone walking into a patient room. There were very few safeguards that could be applied to paper files in comparison to digital.
With digital health records not only does it allow for a more accurate charting of patient information but it also provides many extra levels of security. To access a file on a health care network you must be an authorized user. Automated systems keep a log of who accesses files and what they do with the files. If you print something from the file, add documents to the file or open existing documents there is a record. Not only does it record this information but it also crosschecks the records you access to see if you have reason to be in the files.
With all these safeguards in place it makes for more secure records in clinical use. There are very real concerns however when it comes to data mining. Due to everything being digital it is very easy to pull information for research and statistics. HIPPA is very important in the regulation of what information can be used and how it can be used. HIPPA requires all identifying markers be removed for use of medical records in research efforts.
Now, let’s take a look at how MIS is helping to comply with HIPPA by giving patients access to review and correct mistakes in their health care records. Having digital files not only makes the retrieval of a complete record much easier, but it can also allow for systems to be set up so that patients can view medical history from the privacy of their own homes. This can benefit the patient for many reasons. Due to a national database not yet being in operation patients must still have records transferred from one health care organization to another if they are seeking treatment elsewhere.
If patients have self-access to their information it can eliminate the timely delays of waiting for records to be processed by a facility. (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2013) Conclusion MIS has greatly improved the security and accessibility of an individual’s healthcare records. With detailed tracking of information and security protocols in place it makes for an overall secure system. HIPPA places universal standards on all medical information as it relates to healthcare providers. These standards insure the protection of information.