08 Jun Is HIPAA already outdated?
It’s been a while since we covered anything HIPAA-related. While this regulatory framework impacts our clients and how we design our platform and services, our direct relation to it is somewhat nebulous… but could there be a good reason for that?
The fact is, some are saying HIPAA is already outdated.
One main reason cited is that HIPAA Is often misunderstood by both patients and providers. Fortunately, our platform simplifies the interaction and protects the flow of information, thus preventing misunderstandings and costly errors.
Another problem is with state involvement. Many don’t realize that HIPAA is not a complete healthcare privacy law. States will often intervene with their own localized security standards. When you drill down to the healthcare organizational level, privacy officers suddenly find themselves figuring out a complex web of different standards.
One way to mitigate the problem is to replace HIPAA with something that encompass both national and state level security law. This question is exacerbated when you consider the onslaught of technology in healthcare. From wearables to EHRs, telehealth, and even release of information requests, can HIPAA keep up?
Of course, we support the law and have built our business to function effectively within its framework, but that doesn’t mean there’s not many out there in the industry who feel it needs either a refresh or total replacement.