The Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA, Title II) required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans, and employers. It also addressed the security and privacy of health data. As the industry adopts these standards for the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's health care system will improve the use of electronic data interchange.
The 3M Health Information Systems HIPAA Program Office provides a single point of contact for inquiries and responses to questions regarding HIPAA, and oversees HIPAA activities for 3M HIS products and services, including:
- Assessments of 3M products and services against HIPAA rules
- Development and execution of standard policies and procedures for HIPAA compliance as a business associate to our customers
3M and the 3M Health Information Systems HIPAA Program Office actively participate with governmental agencies, industry groups, and most importantly clients, to position 3M to meet, and to help our clients meet, the challenges of promoting compliance with HIPAA regulations.
Contact the 3M Health Information Systems HIPAA Program Office at 801.265.4816
CMS Provides Helpful HIPAA Security Resources
CMS offers a series of resources for the HIPAA security rule, including:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- HIPAA Hotline at 866-282-0659
- AskHIPAA E-mail at askhipaa@cms.hhs.gov
Intended for general questions regarding HIPAA Administrative Simplification, including the Security rule. While not intended to provide specific advice, high-level responses to questions can be provided.
The Final Rule adopting the HIPAA standard unique health identifier for health care providers was published in the Federal Register on January 23, 2004. Health care providers began applying for NPIs on the effective date of the final rule, which was May 23, 2005. All health care providers are eligible to be assigned NPIs; health care providers who are covered entities must obtain and use NPIs. All HIPAA covered entities must use NPIs by the compliance dates (May 23, 2007 for all but small health plans; May 23, 2008 for small health plans). The final rule can be viewed here.
