Thursday, August 30, 2012

Medical Insurance - Some Important Facts You Should Know


Medical insurance is a special type of insurance where individuals are protected from huge medical expenses in the future. Accidents can happen to any person no matter who he is or how old he is. There is the possibility for any individual to experience an accident that would prevent him from getting to work. Since he would not be able to work, he will not be able to get his paycheck. Aside from not getting a paycheck, he will also have to deal with numerous medical expenses. All the medical expenses that a person has to pay will be all covered by his insurance company.
Getting confined in a hospital is not a joke. There is usually big money that is at stake when a person has to be admitted. There are so many things that a patient could worry about. Of course, he will have to pay for the numerous medications that he has to take daily. It would be bearable if he only has to take care of the medications. However, there are still numerous expenses to consider such as rental of medical machinery, payment for the hospital room, payment to the doctor, and a whole lot more. That is why it is very wise for any individual to invest in medical insurance.
Which individuals are most likely to experience an accident? As stated earlier, no one is immune to unfortunate events. Nevertheless, there are people who are always exposed to accident risks and they should be the ones who need to secure medical insurance. Examples of people who are prone to accidents are those who work in factories, industrial plants, construction sites and other dangerous workplaces. Nevertheless, people who work in the comfort of offices are also encouraged to secure their health care coverage.
When looking for a good insurance company, it is always a good idea to compare the available options. People have to weigh which companies offer better services. Those that offer great medical insurance benefits are recommendable. People should also consider the prices that they have to pay. If the premiums are too high and they think that there is a low chance for them to experience accidents, it would be ideal to start looking for other companies.
There are numerous insurance companies out there, and that is why people will eventually find the ones that suit their needs. In the world today, securing medical insurance is very important.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

7 Things to Expect From HIPAA Exams


If you are a healthcare professional required to take HIPAA exams and you are unsure as to the training you need and what it entails, you have stumbled upon the right article. Listed below is some information on what HIPAA Exams are all about.
1. The type of HIPAA Exams training you need depends on whether you have direct contact with patient identifiable health information, such as medical records or health plans, or not. For professional that do not have access to patient records, the HIPAA Basics is more than sufficient. All other healthcare professional will have to undergo the HIPAA Advanced training course in order to receive the credits they need.
2. More specifically, the HIPAA Basics training course is intended for staffing agencies, business associates, IT staff and software developers, attorneys, cleaning and maintenance staff, medical transportation and delivery services, medical suppliers, pharmaceutical company employees, collection agencies, call center personnel, and document storage facilities.
3. On the other hand, the HIPAA Advanced training course is required for all doctors, nurses, dentists, medical office staff, chiropractors, hospital personnel, translators that deal with patients and doctors, pharmacy staff, mental health professionals, medical students, health insurance administrators, human resources managers, medical devices and products manufacturers, medical observers, and medical data transcriptionists.
4. HIPAA Basics Training begins by raising awareness on HIPAA, which acts as law in the United States. Users can get some inside knowledge into HIPAA's background and its achievements so far. The HIPAA Basics course also deals with other topics, such as HIPAA implementation and the privacy rule. The training offers healthcare professionals a framework for understanding HIPAA's health standards and their implementation.
5. The Basics course also offers information on The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH). More specifically, the course presents an overview of changes, penalties and enforcement methods, privacy rights, and a definition for the words "business associates".
6. Apart from the topics presented above, the HIPAA Advanced training course has an additional topic, on the HIPAA security rule. Through this topic, users will have the chance to learn about administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, the security rule standard, workforce security, possible flexibility of the security rule, breach of security incidents, and planning, implementation, evaluation, and control of the security rule.
7. Both HIPAA Basics and HIPAA Advanced are online-based courses and each can be completed in just 45 minutes. In both cases, users have to pass a final exam before they are able to download or directly print their certificate. HIPAA Exams also offers healthcare professionals with 20 downloadable forms, regardless if they choose the advanced or the basics training.
These are some of the most important things someone working in the healthcare system should know about the HIPAA Exams and the two different types of training available. The information presented above should help you realize which one of the two courses is best suited for you so that you can make the right decision.