All of the following organizations are specified as covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) EXCEPT?
All of the following organizations are specified as covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) EXCEPT?
HIPAA specifies that covered entities include healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. A healthcare provider includes doctors, psychologists, clinics, dentists, nursing homes, and pharmacies if they transmit health information electronically. Health plans encompass health insurance companies, HMOs, company health plans, and government healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Healthcare clearinghouses process nonstandard health information and convert it into a standardized format. Pharmaceutical companies, however, are not considered covered entities under HIPAA.
The purpose of the 21st Century Cures Act (“Cures Act”) is to expedite the research process for new medical devices and prescription drugs, speed up the process for drug approval, and reform mental health treatment. Although the initial version of the bill raised concerns that PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES would be able to purchase individually identifiable health information that was deemed to have research or public health purposes, the final bill addressed these potential pitfalls. Information blocking prohibited but HIPAA’s protection of PHI remains. The Cures Act prohibits providers, health information technology (HIT) providers, health information exchanges (HIEs). This requirement must be balanced with HIPAA’s requirements concerning PHI.
HITECH itself, along with providing funding for greater use of EHRs, made certain changes to HIPAA’s legal treatment of EHRs. Covered entities must provide individuals with a copy of their EHR on request and must account for all nonoral disclosures made within three years on the request. Additionally, covered entities may not sell EHRs without the consent of the patient, and covered entities cannot receive payment for certain marketing plans
A Covered Entity is one of the following: A Health Care Provider A Health Plan A Health Care Clearinghouse A Health Care Provider includes... Doctors Clinics Psychologists Dentists Chiropractors Nursing Homes Pharmacies ...but only if they transmit any information in an electronic form in connection with a transaction for which HHS has adopted a standard. A Health Plan - This includes: Health insurance companies HMOs Company health plans Government programs that pay for health care, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the military and veterans health care programs A Health Care Clearinghouse- This includes entities that process nonstandard health information they receive from another entity into a standard (i.e., standard electronic format or data content), or vice versa.