The key HIPAA terms and definitions you need to know.
Ensuring that patient information is safeguarded and personal health data remains confidential is a priority for all healthcare companies. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) seeks to address this priority by establishing standards for how healthcare providers, insurance companies, and other entities handle protected health information (PHI).
The array of terms and definitions related to HIPAA can often be hard to get your head around. In this article, we explain the key HIPAA terms and definitions you need to know.
Key HIPAA terms and definitons
HIPAA Compliance
The first thing to know is that HIPAA is not an audit standard, it is a US law enacted that sets the guidelines and requirements for protecting sensitive patient health information. Importantly, HIPAA applies to both physical and electronic records.
However, while HIPAA itself is not an audit standard, it does require organizations to implement certain safeguards, policies and procedures that can be audited to ensure compliance.
PHI (Protected Health Information):
PHI refers to any information about a patient's health status, healthcare services, or payment for healthcare that can be linked to an individual. PHI is protected under HIPAA which mandates strict safeguards to ensure its privacy and security.
HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates
A key consideration to determine the scope of your HIPAA requirements is to determine whether your organization is a Covered Entity and Business Associate:
Covered Entity:
Business Associate:
HIPAA Rules:
There are several key rules within HIPAA that outline how healthcare organizations and business associates must handle protected health information (PHI). Here is a short summary of each:
What's next?
Once you have gained an understanding of the key terms and definitions outlined in this article, the next question is - what are the key steps required to begin your HIPAA compliance journey?
To answer this question and for information on how AssuranceLab can assist with your HIPAA auditing requirements, check out our article on getting started with HIPAA.
Alternatively, get in contact with us directly and let our expert auditors guide you through the process to achieve HIPAA compliance for your organisation.