The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA). The
Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPAA
or the Privacy Rule, protects the personal health information of individuals who receive
health care.
The Privacy Rule limits the activities of health care providers and administrators who
have access to personal health records and prevents them from acting carelessly or irresponsibly.
Providers and organizations are obligated to take measures to insure that the personal
health information in their hands is protected from unauthorized disclosure and is used
only for its intended purposes as defined by law.
Under the Privacy Rule, a “covered entity,” such as a health plan, may disclose
personal health information to “business associates” who have been contracted
to provide health care services or health care operations support on behalf of the covered
entity.
As a business associate acting on behalf of employer-sponsored health plans, Cardium
Health is fully obligated under the business associate provisions of the Privacy Rule.
Cardium Health receives information that is protected under the Privacy Rule (“protected
health information” or PHI) through claim records, HRA's and referrals for medical
or pharmacy benefits, and through contact with participants’ doctors.
Cardium Health participants can be certain that the organization is in full compliance
with HIPAA and that their personal information is well protected at all times. Cardium
Health also guarantees the protection of any information, of any nature, exchanged between
participants and Cardium Health clinicians.
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