Frimpong Jemima A, Rivers Patrick A
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
J Health Care Finance. 2006 Fall;33(1):31-9.
The health care industry has undergone dramatic changes over the past decade. Advances in technologies are being implemented, making the health care industry more complex. In response to increasing administrative costs, the inability to control the collection and distribution of an individual's health information, and the rising costs of health care, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed as part of the Social Security Act in 1996 to address the emerging complexities of the industry. Over the past years, the health care system has focused efforts on compliance with HIPAA regulations. HIPAA compliance can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and protect the privacy of personal medical information; however, some health care providers and other health care entities have experienced various setbacks in efforts to comply with HIPAA. Health care providers may be reluctant to comply with HIPAA regulations because the rules are complex and result in short-term increases in administrative costs. Nevertheless, long-term HIPAA compliance could allow the health care system to improve its effectiveness and efficiency in health care delivery.
在过去十年中，医疗保健行业经历了巨大的变革。技术进步不断得以应用，使得医疗保健行业变得更加复杂。为应对行政成本的增加、无法控制个人健康信息的收集与分发以及医疗保健成本的不断上涨，1996年《健康保险流通与责任法案》（HIPAA）作为《社会保障法案》的一部分得以通过，以应对该行业新出现的复杂性。在过去几年里，医疗保健系统一直致力于遵守HIPAA法规。遵守HIPAA法规可以提高效率、降低成本并保护个人医疗信息的隐私；然而，一些医疗保健提供者和其他医疗保健实体在努力遵守HIPAA法规的过程中遇到了各种挫折。医疗保健提供者可能不愿遵守HIPAA法规，因为这些规则很复杂，并且会导致行政成本短期内增加。尽管如此，长期遵守HIPAA法规可以使医疗保健系统提高其在医疗保健服务方面的有效性和效率。
