The published and proposed regulations for implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 will affect how healthcare organizations handle all facets of managing and using personal health information including coding, reimbursement, patient records and care management. This project will examine the regulations with regard to the implications for HIPAA compliance by rural hospitals. A survey of rural hospitals also will be conducted to examine HIPAA readiness, specific aspects of HIPAA requirements that might prove particularly difficult in small, rural organizational settings, and resources needed for meeting HIPAA requirements. This project is consistent with the RUPRI Center s activities related to the used of information technologies by rural providers, including rural health networks. The review of regulations and the survey will be conducted in collaboration with the Project HOPE Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, providing a starting point for case studies of HIPAA implementation strategies by the Walsh Center.

Publications

• Rural Hospital HIPAA Readiness and Resource Needs
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 05/2003
  This rural policy brief presents a survey of rural hospitals regarding the extent of their preparation for HIPAA requirements and their need for resources to implement them.