It's taken me way to long to announce Jim Dedman's law blog, which is a great site (with XML feed). Another lawyer "down in Texas who knows just exactly what the facts is."
11:54:06 AM
Today HIPAA becomes effective. HIPAA is the short name of the "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act," Public Law 104-191, which was enacted in 1996. The idea of HIPAA is to ensure confidentiality of patient records.
Buckle your seatbelt and prepare for a bumpy ride because this is one of those laws that was passed for a noble purpose, but which is going to make life a lot harder for a lot of people. And not just large hospitals that have to crank up the paranoia level on patient records and medical information.
What will happen to us average folk when the paranoia level gets boosted? Will you be able to find out what room grandma is in at the hospital so you can call her and find out how the gall bladder surgery went? Will you be able to send your husband to pick up your prescription for you? We'll see.
Meanwhile, be sure to check in with Jeff Drummond's blog. He's an attorney and his blog is called HIPAA blog. He's got the scoop and pointers to great articles.
