Health
Health care providers face stricter privacy requirements
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By CORTNEY ERNDT
Capital News Service
LANSING – Stricter health privacy laws are leading to an increase in reported violations and better training of new physicians. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the number of health privacy cases investigated increased from 339 in 2003 to 3,898 in 2011. About 70,259 health privacy complaints were resolved and 6,931 open complaints were made from April 14, 2003 to December 31, 2012. Michigan State Medical Society President John Bizon said, “Training for new physicians has been expanded compared to when I went to medical school before implementation of HIPPA,” the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Grand Valley State University graduate and Michigan State University first-year medical student Alex Brenner, of Shelbyville, said patient privacy rights were addressed at his orientation into medical school, at his care-facility job and at a research orientation at Spectrum Hospital. “Health privacy is taken very seriously,” Brenner said.