In enacting the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 , Congress mandated the establishment of standards for the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The Privacy Rule establishes a federal floor of safeguards to protect the confidentiality of medical information. It covers those health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers who conduct certain financial and administrative transactions electronically. These electronic transactions (i.e., billing, fund transfers, etc.) are bound by the new privacy standards even if performed by outside business associates of the “covered entities.”

Are you compliant?

The Privacy Rule became effective April 14, 2001 and most health plans and health care providers covered by this rule must comply with the new requirements by April 2003.

What does the HIPAA Privacy Rule require?

For the average health care provider or health plan, the Privacy Rule of HIPAA requires activities such as:

• educating patients about their privacy rights and how their personal information may be used
• adopting clear privacy procedures for its practice, hospital, or plan
• training employees so they understand the privacy procedures
• designating an individual to oversee the implementation of and adherence to privacy procedures
• protecting patient records containing individually identifiable health information from unauthorized viewers
  

What will DK Consulting Services do for you?

DK Consulting Services will ensure that your organization meets Federal HIPAA and Privacy Rule requirements in the following areas:

• electronic health transactions standards and code sets
• privacy and confidentiality
• security of health information & electronic signature standards
• unique identifiers for providers, employers, and health plans

Products

DK Consulting Services offers the following line of products to service your HIPAA and Privacy Rule needs:

• complete set of required documentation
• on-site requirements gap analysis
• on-site security assessment and risk analysis
• engineering solutions: plan, design, and implementation
• annual review of system
• comprehensive employee training
• ongoing support