HIPPA or HIPAA or whatever the (grrr) it's called

[slsh]

Blue - I'm getting ready to hurt someone. Does HIPPA (whatever) cover not releasing info about medical bills to the *wife* of the guarantor/*mother* of the patient??? Has common sense completely left the planet?

I just got a bill for another gazillion dollars, telling me, or actually husband, to pay because insurance hasn't. I called provider, because husband wouldn't know a check, EOB, or insurance card from a hole in the ground. Clerk told me she couldn't release information because I'm not guarantor. Pigs will be flying before he'd actually follow up on unpaid/unprocessed claims.

:Hot Head: :Hot Head: :Hot Head:

This is utterly ludicrous - bio mom, married to husband, what is the deal with- this????

Come to think of it, how can they put husband as the guarantor when *I* signed all the financial responsibility forms????

 

[slsh]

OK, never mind. Billing service sent bill, so I called hospital itself. Not a problem, very nice lady who's name and number will *never* be forgotten since I think thank you is going to be a frequent flyer over there.

But still... is the goal here to just make things as difficult as possible? They want their money, right? So talk to the person with- the checkbook, already.

Sorry - vent over, I will let this go. :wink:

 

[bigblueagain]

Hey girl, sorry took me so long to get back at ya. Have been working 3 days a week with the mental health benefits administrator and then the other 4 days per week doing real estate. Never really get a day off anymore.
Anyway, HIPAA is very confusing to most everyone. It was primarily enacted because people went to their Congressmen to oppose letting insurers get the information they really needed in order to pay claims and make decisions on medical necessity. The lay person thought this would help them get more things paid, when in essence what it has done is exactly the opposite. It has greatly slowed down the claim paying process because it has mandated certain levels of security and the patients right to make determinations on who gets what information. There are very STIFF penalties should providers( and this now includes hospitals, doctor's offices as well as insurers and bill paying services) if an offense is found. Like up to $11,000 per incident. We have just had another inservice at our place on this. As of April 15 everyone in the country must be HIPAA compliant or face even stronger penalities. So alot of companies, hospitals, doctors office and other what is called "business affiliates" are going overboard. I think once everyone gets used to the laws and understands them, things will get better. But again it is a perfect example of laypeople (Congress) making laws that they really don't have a clue about!!!!BLUE