Commun ty Matters Newton Presbyterian Manor
January 2015
HIPAA 101 A simple question doesn’t always have a simple answer. “Why did my friend go to the hospital?” seems to be a simple question, but the answer is blocked by a federal law. While most think of the law as the protector of medical records, privacy isn’t even in its name.
We call it HIPAA (pronounced HIP-pah), but the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 also has been known as the Kassebaum-Kennedy Act or Kennedy-Kassebaum Act. Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum, R-Kan., was a leading sponsor of the bill, along with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. The official explanation is: “An Act To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes.” The main intent was that the health industry would save money by computerizing paper records. That led to concerns over privacy, which led to new privacy regulations. HIPPA, continued on page 2
A learning experience Bethel College partnership still strong after 20 years Whenever new residents move to Presbyterian Manor, social services director Helen Brown and her staff ask them to be interviewed for a social history – a look back at their life story to help Presbyterian Manor staff get to know each resident as an individual. The interviews are conducted year-round, but in the fall, Brown gets a hand from social work students at Bethel College in North Newton. For nearly 20 years Presbyterian Manor and the college have partnered to give students a way to practice their interviewing skills outside of the classroom. The students are enrolled in a course called Skills for Human Service Work, taught by professor of social work Ada Schmidt-Tieszen. “What I love about the assignment is that students who complete it have done something that a social worker can use in a real setting,” Ada said. “Helen and the other social workers on her staff have been wonderfully generous with their time and energy to help our students have a good learning experience.” COLLEGE, continued on page 8