The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) originated in the
United States which has great importance for health insurances and outsourcing of medical transcription works. It was established in 1996. In general, the Act protects the privacy of an individuals health information and also takes care of the way certain health care providers collect and maintain information on health.
The Act
The HIPAA Medical Transcription Act seeks to establish security and confidentiality of all health care related data, standardized formats for all patient health data, unique identifiers for each individual and security mechanisms to ensure data integrity. A separate section on how a patient can claim his/her rights are included which is a vital part upholding the constitutional rights of the patient. Complaints can be filed under this section if the patient feels his/her rights have been violated.
HIPAA compliance
All the services offered by any medical agency or any institution that governs health sectors need to comply with the rules of HIPAA. It is basically the legal system of the entire health related services. There are various rules regarding the running of a health care setup as well as the related functionalities. When it comes to medical transcription, you need to comply with all the rules of HIPAA Medical Transcription. You need to comply with all of them when you run an agency and if you dont, action can be taken against you.
How to file a complaint
If any of the entities covered by the HIPAA Medical Transcription is found violating the privacy and security of their subject, complaints can be filed against them. Complains in this regard can be filed by anyone who feels violated. The complaint can be filed in writing or via email. It needs to be submitted to the OCR manager of any region. You need to give all the details of your health packages in the complaint. You need to also mention the details of the violation that has occurred. Make a note to file it atleast within 180 days of the violation as that is the maximum period up to which the matter can be extended to. HIPAA Medical Transcription rules help in safeguarding the rights of the patients.