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H1N1 news for USW members: Arm yourself with facts, prevention
USW Ratifies Collective Bargaining Agreement With Appalachian Regional Healthcare
USW Announces Tentative Agreement With Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Rhode Island Committee Votes to End Mandatory Overtime for Nurses
Robert Wood Johnson Nurses Ratify New Agreement, Win Quality Health Care
USW Among RNs Working Together Rallying in Chicago
Nurses Unions Launch Unprecedented National Effort To Coordinate Unionization And Patients’ Rights Campaigns
Steelworkers continue to lead the fight for “HealthCare-NOW!”
Solidarity Forever - Actions That Work!
Health Care Employees Report Cites Scarcity of Minorities In Health Professions, Identifies Solutions
HIPAA ALERT!
Test Your HIPAA IQ - True or False?
States Ready to Ban Mandatory Overtime
Learning a Lesson from Down Under
Workplace Actions Are The Key To Success
Workplace Issues
Injury Rates a Problem at Nursing Homes
Legislation Proposed for Safe Staffing Levels at Health Care Facilities
Short Staffing/Hours of Work
Study: Low Staff Levels Lead to Poor Patient Outcomes
Job Stress
Facts on Mandatory Overtime
Health & Safety
Ergonomic Job Design
Work Restructuring
Political Action
Legislative Information -- U.S.
Future of Healthcare in Canada



HIPAA ALERT!


What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), was the result of efforts by the Clinton Administration and congressional health care reform proponents to reform health care. The goals and objectives of this legislation are to streamline industry inefficiencies, reduce paperwork, make it easier to detect and prosecute fraud and abuse and enable workers of all professions to change jobs, even if they (or family members) have a pre-existing medical condition.

The HIPAA legislation has four primary objectives:

  1. Assure health insurance portability by eliminating job-lock due to pre-existing medical conditions.
  2. Reduce health care fraud and abuse.
  3. Enforce standards for health information.
  4. Guarantee security and privacy of health information.