HIPAA Resource Center

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a wide-ranging effort to simplify the administrative burden faced by the health care industry. One provision of this law, administrative simplification, will standardize the electronic transmission of health data and facilitate the transition from paper to electronic claims. The law requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to adopt national standards for identifiers, transactions, claims attachments, health data privacy and security and medical records.

Latest HIPAA News

• Sample HIPAA business associate agreement for MGMA-ACMPE members
• First HIPAA breach settlement involving less than 500 patients announced  
• HHS releases new omnibus privacy and security rule
• HHS releases HIPAA privacy audit details
• MGMA partners with HIMSS on HIPAA Privacy and Security Toolkit

MGMA Advocacy
 

• Comments to the Office for Civil Rights highlighting issues and concerns of MGMA members about the accounting for disclosures rule 
•  MGMA submitted testimony before the National Committee on VItal and Health Statistics regarding the association's recommendations to improve the Electronic Funds Tranfers and Remittance process 
• MGMA joins the American Medical Association in calling for a National Testing Period ahead of the change to the Version 5010 HIPAA transaction standards
• MGMA comments on proposed changes to HIPAA privacy and security rule 

MGMA Resources 

• Sample Notice of Privacy Practices
• Sample Business Associate Agreement
• HIPAA Omnibus Rule: A practical approach for physician practices 
• MGMA members respond to a Legislative and Executive Advocacy Response Network (LEARN) questionnaire regarding the, "HIPAA Privacy Rule Accounting of Disclosures Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act; Request for Information." Download the research findings 
  Using the LEARN research, MGMA submitted formal comments to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR)  that highlighted five critical issues and concerns:
• The administrative burden on physician practices;
• The low volume of current patient requests for accounting reports;
• The burdensome and unnecessary accounting for treatment disclosures; 
• The burdensome and unnecessary accounting for payment and healthcare operations disclosures; and
• The rule’s discouraging effect on physician practice adoption of EHRs. 
• Summary of MGMA's concerns and recommendations for implementing ICD-10-CM and 5010

 NIST Resources

• NIST Guide for Conducting Risk Assessments
• NIST Guide to Storage Encryption Technologies for End User Devices

HHS Resources

• HHS Integrating Privacy and Security into your Practice
• ONC Guide to Privacy and Security of Health Information
• ONC Security Risk Analysis Myths and Facts Factsheet
• CMS Stage 1 Meaningful Use Core Measure 15 – Conduct a security risk analysis.
• Key HIPAA privacy and security provisions in the economic stimulus package
• HHS Breach Guidance
• CMS publishes HIPAA 5010 information 
• Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act
  Includes guidance from HHS regarding technologies and methodologies that make protected health information unusable, unreadable or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals

Other Resources

• CA State Govt HIPAA Security Risk Assessment

About HIPAA

• HIPAA Glossary
• Download the HIPAA regulations and public comments

HHS FAQs on:

• Transactions final rule
• National Provider Identifier
• National Employer Identifier
• Security
• Medical Privacy  

Additional HIPAA Resources on the Web

Government Sites

• Department of Health and Human Services  
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  
• National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics
• Office for Civil Rights

Standards Developing Organizations

• American Dental Association  
• Health Level Seven  
• National Council for Prescription Drug Programs  
• National Uniform Billing Committee  
• National Uniform Claim Committee
• American National Standards Institute  

HIPAA Electronic Transactions Implementation Guides 

Washington Publishing Company