This includes electronic
transmission of major financial and administrative dealings,
including billing, electronic claims processing and reimbursement
advice. Various offenses relating to health care are set and
criminal penalties imposed. Besides creating several programs
to control fraud and abuse within the health care system it
imposes penalties when rules are violated. The privacy rule
regulates the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information
(PHI). PHI is any information about health status,
provision of health care, or payment for health care that can
be linked to an individual. Any person who believes that the
Privacy Rule is not being upheld can file a complaint with the
Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
About the Author The author of this article is Ricci Mathew
of Outsource
Strategies International (OSI), a US based company
that offers services in Medical
Coding, and Medical
Transcription.
