HIPAA
Introduction to HIPAA & DHS

No issue is more sensitive for people than keeping their personal health information private. That is one of the reasons the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) became federal law. Learn more about the law and how it is impacting South Dakotan's, government agencies, health providers, and others.

The new federal privacy law - the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) - will impact all South Dakotan's in some way.

The HIPAA law was enacted to provide safeguards for personal health information from disclosure, fraud, and abuse. It gives all South Dakotan's choices about who can access their personal health information. It also sets standards for how that information is used and shared throughout the entire health care industry.

Prior to HIPAA implementation in 2003, consumers' health records have been vulnerable to being accessed without even people's knowledge, making this personal information not as safe and secure as it should be. Thus, the changes required by HIPAA impact the entire health care industry including health plans, hospitals, clearinghouses, and government agencies - like DHS - among others.

Three areas of HIPAA affect DHS:

• Privacy (keeping client/patient health information private),
• Transaction and code sets (using standard national codes to process billings and conduct business),
• Security (keeping health information secure.)

While DHS has long been committed to protecting client/patient confidentiality, HIPAA provides an opportunity to improve procedures and coordinate policies across the department.

DHS Stars 837 Companion Guide

BOP HIPAA Orientation
(for new employees only)