Acu-Care Health Centers

Health Isurance Portability and Accountability Act Compliance

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), was the result of efforts by the Clinton Administration and congressional healthcare reform proponents to reform healthcare. It amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), to provide new rights and protections for participants and beneficiaries in group health plans.

Under Title I, HIPAA provides rights and protections for participants and beneficiaries in group health plans. It includes protections for coverage under group health plans that limit exclusions for preexisting conditions; prohibit discrimination against employees and dependents based on their health status; and allow a special opportunity to enroll in a new plan to individuals in certain circumstances. HIPAA may also give you a right to purchase individual coverage if you have no group health plan coverage available, and have exhausted COBRA or other continuation coverage.

Under the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA, Title II), national standards were established for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans, and employers. It also addresses the security and privacy of patients' health data.

The goals and objectives of HIPAA are to streamline industry inefficiencies, reduce paperwork, make it easier to detect and prosecute fraud and abuse and enable workers of all professions to change jobs, even if they (or family members) had pre-existing medical conditions.

In short, the four primary objectives of HIPAA are:

1. Assure health insurance portability by eliminating job-lock due to pre-existing medical conditions;
2. Reduce healthcare fraud and abuse;
3. Enforce standards for your health and medical information; and
4. Guarantee security and privacy of your health and medical information.

Acu-Care Health Centers is in compliance with standard HIPAA protocols, including the federal privacy standards with regard to your protected health information (PHI). For our specific policies, you may contact us at: