Regulatory Paper
December 2, 2012
Joan Craine

I am going to inform the staff of this hospital about the HIPPA law. I am going to let them known that following the policies and procedures of this law are very important. I am going to educate them on the purpose of this law. When the law was signed and also the consequences of not following the law. We will also touch on the subjects of humiliation of management and coworkers if the law is not followed and respected.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) was designed to help protect patients and their privacy when seeking care at any health facilities. “A major goal of the Privacy Rule is to assure that individuals’ health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public's health and well being. The Rule strikes a balance that permits important uses of information, while protecting the privacy of people who seek care and healing. Given that the health care marketplace is diverse, the Rule is designed to be flexible and comprehensive to cover the variety of uses and disclosures that need to be addressed.”(U.S. Department of Health & Human Services · 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. · Washington, D.C. 20201). This law also protects patient’s information being sent electronically. “This law was enacted by the United States Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It was sponsored by Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.).[1] Title I of HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs. Title II of HIPAA, known as the Administrative Simplification (AS) provisions, requires the establishment of national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers”. (http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use_(2009) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.) This means that this is a federal law that gives patients a right over their health information and it also allows them to set rules and limitations on who is able to view their health records.
The key facts that I want the employees to know are the fact that we as health care providers must respect this law and also respect patient privacy. And also to understand how serious this law is. And also to keep in mind that this law was made to protect patients.
The consequences of this organization or any employee are failure to comply with HIPPA can result in civil and criminal penalties. “The “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”(ARRA) that was signed into law on February 17, 2009, established a tiered civil penalty structure for HIPAA violations”. “ In June 2005 The U.S department of Justice clarified who can be held criminally liable under HIPPA. Covered entities and specified individuals whom knowingly obtain or disclose individually identifiable health information in violation of the administration simplification regulations face a fine of up to $50.000, as well as imprisonment up to one year. Offenses committed under false pretenses allow penalties to be increased to a $100,000 fine, with up to five