In the realm of health care, privacy protections are needed to preserve patients' dignity and prevent possible harms. Ten years ago, to address these concerns as well as set guidelines for ethical health research, Congress called for a set of federal standards now known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule. In its 2009 report, Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information concludes that the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not protect privacy as well as it should, and that it impedes important health research.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 (PL 104-191) continues to generate numerous questions. What kinds of policies does it cover? Does it help people who are currently uninsured? Does it help people with pre-existing medical conditions? How does it affect health insurance premiums? How do its requirements interact with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) continuation coverage? Answers to those questions are provided, as well as descriptions of each of the major section of HIPAA. Contents:

- Updated Claim Forms chapter covers the UB-04 claim form. - Updated information covers diagnosis and procedural coding, with guidelines and applications. - Updated claim forms and names are used throughout.

This is the actual text of HIPAA. Perfect for reference. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 (P.L.104-191) [HIPAA] was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. It was originally sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.). According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website, 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. The Administration Simplification provisions also address the security and privacy of health data. The standards are meant to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's health care system by encouraging the widespread use of electronic data interchange in the U.S. health care system.