The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) policy “establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other identifiable health information” (US Department of Health & Human Services, n.d., para. 1). In other words, this policy provides healthcare professionals with recommendations and guidelines on how they should behave to ensure that patients’ personal information is not revealed or stolen. It is challenging to overestimate the significance of this regulation to the entire medical sphere.
The given policy impacts multiple stakeholders, including organizations, healthcare professionals, and patients. Even though these people and entities are not directly involved in policymaking processes, they can influence this sphere. For example, individuals can join advocacy groups, while organizations are capable of lobbying their interests in the policymaking sphere. That is why these stakeholders have some power to impact the policymaking sphere, but they require much effort to ensure that a specific political decision is made.
Even though the HIPAA policy emerged in the late 20th century, some processes are still underway. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services (n.d.), this regulation has witnessed a few adjustments and modifications to improve coordinated care, reduce regulatory burdens, and regulate information disclosure. For example, it was extended in 2021 and modified in 2018 and 2021 (US Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.). These changes demonstrate that policymakers draw sufficient attention to ensure that the HIPAA policy addresses current issues and keeps abreast of changing technologies that are actively applied in the medical sphere.
In conclusion, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act represents an important topic in the healthcare industry. That is why nurses should take specific measures to ensure that this policy is implemented. In particular, nurses should be aware of this regulation’s requirements, be professional, and have excellent communication skills. These strategies can significantly help these staff members implement this policy and ensure that patients’ needs are satisfied.
Reference
US Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). The HIPAA Privacy Rule. Web.