The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) has created an opportunity for the healthcare industry to move from paper claims transactions to electronic transactions using one national standard format. In order to comply with HIPAA, providers must update their systems or outsource their billing needs to professional medical billers. Fast Track Medical Billing assists medical practices throughout northern New Jersey in maintaining compliance with HIPAA privacy and security regulations by reducing the burden of these cumbersome guidelines.

Identify potential hidden risks.

Network engineers can secure your network.

Patient data encryption.

Disaster recovery planning.

Onsite HIPAA training.

HIPAA compliant technology.

HIPAA was designed to establish standards and requirements for electronic transmission and storage of certain healthcare information used by healthcare providers, health plans and business entities involved in healthcare. The intent of the legislation was to improve the portability and continuity of health benefits, to ensure greater accountability in the area of healthcare fraud, and to simplify the administration of health insurance.

HIPAA regulations have extensive impact on healthcare organizations, including health plans, providers and clearinghouses. These requirements affect the organization structure and procedures, physical accommodations, and technical equipment and capabilities. Outlined below are some of the significant effects of HIPAA on the medical practice.

Disaster Recovery
Planning for emergencies, including periodic backup of data, critical facilities availability and disaster recovery procedures.

Security Standards for Health Information
Determining level of access to healthcare information and providing training to all practice staff members about privacy and security procedures.

Physical and Administrative Procedures
Securing workstations and storage media, keeping records of authorized access and implementing workstation policies and regular backup of data. Designating a privacy official to oversee the confidentiality and security procedures.

Maintaining Written Policies and Procedures
Documenting compliance of HIPAA rules and making these available to all personnel. Implementing chain of trust agreements with partners with whom the practice exchanges healthcare information.

This list is not inclusive but delineates some of the areas critical for HIPAA compliance relating to small group practices.