Implementing HIPAA: a manager's blueprint

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 will prove to be one of the most far-reaching health care reform laws of our generation. Virtually every sector of health care will need to reengineer its systems to protect its patient information infrastructure, and combat waste and abuse. The benefits will justify the efforts and costs if the result is a system in which patient medical information is protected, and information will begin to flow between payers and providers in a seamless, standardized and secure fashion. This article studies various strategies and approaches that management may use to maximize compliance efforts.