Question 1

HIPAA seeks to protect individual PHI and discloses that information only when it is in the best interest of the patient.

Accepted Answer

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a federal law that ensures the protection of individual health information and limits the disclosure of PHI (Protected Health Information) only to authorized persons for specified purposes, primarily for healthcare treatment, payment, and operations. HIPAA mandates that any disclosure of PHI should be minimum and allows patients to have control over their health information. HIPAA also imposes punitive measures on entities that violate the law, including hefty fines and penalties.

Question 2

The unique identifier for employers is the Social Security Number (SSN) of the business owner.

Accepted Answer

The unique identifier for employers is the Employer Identification Number (EIN) issued by the IRS.

Question 3

Notice of Privacy Practices (NOPP) must be given to patients every time they visit the facility.

Accepted Answer

The NOPP only needs to be given to patients once, typically at their first visit to the facility. However, if there are any updates or changes to the policy, patients must be informed of the changes and provided with a revised NOPP.

Question 4

One reason not to use the SSN for patient identifiers is that there is no check digit for verification of the number.

Accepted Answer

This is true. The lack of a check digit means there is no built-in way to verify the accuracy of the SSN, which can lead to errors and potential data breaches.

Question 5

HIPAA allows disclosure of PHI in many new ways.

Accepted Answer

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) primarily aims to protect the privacy and security of an individual's health information and limits the ways in which Protected Health Information (PHI) can be disclosed without patient consent.

Question 6

Including employers in the standard transaction

Accepted Answer

Including employers in the standard transaction is necessary for Workers' Compensation claims and when verifying enrollment in a plan. This allows for more efficient communication and coordination between the employer and health plans, ensuring that employees receive timely and appropriate care.

Question 7

Covered entities who violate HIPAA law are only punished with civil, monetary penalties.

Accepted Answer

Covered entities who violate HIPAA law can be subject to both civil monetary penalties and criminal penalties, depending on the nature of the violation.

Question 8

Prescriptions may only be picked up by the patient to protect the privacy of the individual's health information.

Accepted Answer

Prescriptions can be picked up by someone other than the patient if they have the patient's permission or are acting on behalf of the patient, such as a family member or caregiver, while still adhering to privacy regulations.

Question 9

The adopted standard identifier for employers is the

Accepted Answer

The Employer Identification Number (EIN) is the adopted standard identifier for employers. It is a unique nine-digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to identify a business entity for tax purposes. The Social Security Number (SSN) and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) may be used for individual tax purposes, but the EIN is specifically for businesses. The CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) is a government agency responsible for administering healthcare programs and is not related to employer identification.

Question 10

When a patient is transferred to another facility, access to the medical records by the receiving facility is no longer permitted under HIPAA.

Accepted Answer

HIPAA allows for the sharing of medical records between healthcare providers for the purpose of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. When a patient is transferred to another facility, the receiving facility is considered a healthcare provider involved in the patient's care and is allowed access to the medical records. The transferring facility is required to provide necessary information to ensure continuity of care.

Question 11

The new National Provider Identifier (NPI) has "intelligence" that allows you to find out the provider's specialty.

Accepted Answer

The new National Provider Identifier (NPI) system includes an "intelligence" feature that indicates the provider's specialty.

Question 12

The law Congress passed in 1996 mandated identifiers for which four categories of entities?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The law Congress passed in 1996 mandated...

Question 13

The National Provider Identifier (NPI) issued by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) replaces only those numbers issued by private health plans.

Accepted Answer

The National Provider Identifier (NPI) issued by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) replaces ALL identifiers issued by private health plans, not just some.

Question 14

When registering a patient for outpatient or inpatient services, the office does not need to enter complete information prior to the encounter. It can be found out later.

Accepted Answer

It is important to enter complete and accurate information about the patient prior to the encounter, especially for inpatient services, in order to ensure proper treatment and billing.

Question 15

When a patient refuses to sign a receipt of the NOPP, the facility will ask the patient to leave since they cannot treat the patient without a signature.

Accepted Answer

While failure to sign the NOPP may limit the facility's ability to share the patient's information, it does not necessarily mean the patient cannot be treated. The facility should still attempt to inform the patient of their rights and obtain their signature if possible, but refusing to treat them is not necessary.

Question 16

Administrative Simplification focuses on reducing the time it takes to submit health claims. The unique identifiers are part of this simplification.

Accepted Answer

Administrative Simplification includes the use of Unique Identifiers to reduce the time it takes to submit health claims.

Question 17

Faxing PHI is still permitted under HIPAA law.

Accepted Answer

Faxing PHI is still allowed under HIPAA law, but there are certain guidelines that must be followed to ensure the security and confidentiality of the information.

Question 18

HIPAA law requires that using unique identifiers must

Accepted Answer

The purpose of using unique identifiers in HIPAA law is to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of the health care system by ensuring accurate and timely processing of health care transactions. This requires the use of standardized, unique identifiers for health plans, health care providers, and individuals. It is not optional and is not under the direction of each state's insurance commissioner.

Question 19

If a covered entity has disclosed some protected health information (PHI) in violation of HIPAA law, a patient can sue the covered entity for damages.

Accepted Answer

Under HIPAA, individuals do not have the right to sue covered entities for damages. Enforcement is handled by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Question 20

All four parties on a health claim now have unique identifiers.

Accepted Answer

The answer of All four parties on a health claim...

Quiz 5: Unique Health Identifiers and Hipaa Myths