Privacy to personal information is the right if any individual at any part of the globe. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996 to prevent unauthorized access to patient information, and it is something by which all medical-related businesses should abide.

HIPAA is to be abided by all ‘covered entities’ and the term includes:

• Hospitals and clinics
• Insurance Companies dealing with health and medical policies
• Private Practices – General practitioners and specialists, dentists, chiropractors, etc.
• Psychiatrists and Psychologists
• Medical Billing Centers and Collection Agencies

Whether you have two people or two hundred working in the office which deals with medical health records, the security of patient information is important. It’s imperative for all employees to make sure sensitive data is not compromised and exposed to unauthorized people.

The medical information which is considered personal and private and which is not to be disclosed by healthcare centers as recognized by Federal law include and are not limited to:

• Prescription Information
• Medical History Records
• Appointment Logs
• Phone and Voice Mail Message Notes
• Insurance Forms and Claims
• Billing Information

While adhering to HIPAA rules, you need to destroy all the patient information which is outdated or no longer necessary. The destruction of records must be done in accordance to HIPAA regulations and it says that every sticky note, every printout needs to be shredded thoroughly. Simply throwing away papers does not guarantee security – as any unscrupulous person could sift through the garbage and have access to credit card numbers and addresses. One could also hire a professional to destroy documents.

A literature review of comparison studies for medical imaging methods, published in the May/June issue of the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, puts ultrasound at the top of the list for accuracy and cost effectiveness.

“Accuracy and Cost Comparison of Ultrasound Versus Alternative Modalities Including CT, MR, PET, and Angiography” reports the results of research studies that compare the accuracy and cost effectiveness of ultrasound versus other imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), contrast angiography (CA), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Alternate imaging technologies “are often considerably more expensive, include radiation exposure, are less portable, or have an increased risk of complications from contrast media,” write authors S. Michelle Bierig, MPH, RDCS, FASE, FSDMS, and Anne Jones, RN, BSN, RVT, RDMS, FSVU.

“Interestingly, the increase in spending by Medicare for alternative imaging services has been at a higher growth curve than the increase in the use of ultrasound,” the authors note.

Read the article online, free for a limited time.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced, May 28, the release of $81.7 million to expand services offered at the nation’s health centers.  On the same day—100 days after the signing of the Recovery Act—HHS also awarded $25.6 million in non-Recovery Act grants to expand medical capacity at 54 existing health centers, helping an additional 230,000 individuals in 25 states receive primary health care services, the agency said.

The grants, funded through the Health Center Program, have already helped more than 17 million individuals by providing access to high-quality, family-oriented, comprehensive primary and preventive health care. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency within HHS, oversees the Health Center Program.

The Recovery Act provides $2 billion for grants to health centers over a two-year period.  Of that, $500 million will be used to support new health center sites and service areas, increase services at existing sites, and address spikes in uninsured populations.

An additional $1.5 billion will be used to support construction, renovation and equipment, including health information technology (HIT) systems, in health centers and health center controlled networks.

HHS has already awarded approximately $155 million in Recovery Act grant funds to support 126 community health center sites across the country. The 126 New Access Point (NAP) grants were awarded to applicants that were approved but unfunded in 2008.  These grants will provide access to health center care for 750,000 people in 39 states and two territories.

HHS also awarded $338 million in Increased Demand for Services grants for health centers. Health centers will use these funds to provide care to more than 2 million additional patients over the next two years, including approximately 1 million uninsured people, and create and retain approximately 6,500 health center jobs.

The non-Recovery Act grants awarded today include $25.6 million to expand medical capacity at 54 existing health centers, helping an additional 230,000 individuals in 25 states receive primary health care services.  The remaining $56.1 million will supplement all health centers’ base grant awards to offset rising costs associated with maintaining current service levels.