Changes to International Health Insurance

Those who travel overseas for business or vacation may want to know that two of the world's largest international health insurance plans - Atlas Travel and the International Citizen Medical Plan insured by Lloyds of London have changed coverage and rates effective January 1, 2002. The coverage levels are increased for the new policies and the premium cost is proportionately higher.

These plans are specifically designed to deal with the language issues, currency translation and business practices unique to the medical care of international travelers. I believe that the improvements in benefits will be welcomed by customers. The relatively low cost of these plans means that a modest price increase is not a significant barrier for most customers.

The updated rates and forms are now available online at www.MedSave.com using the International Health Insurance or the "Forms" link and printed versions of the new enrollment brochure are expected to be available in early January.

These plans are specifically designed to deal with the language issues, currency translation and business practices unique to the medical care of international travelers. I believe that the improvements in benefits will be welcomed by customers. The relatively low cost of these plans means that a modest price increase is not a significant barrier for most customers.

The updated rates and forms are now available online at www.MedSave.com using the International Health Insurance or the "Forms" link and printed versions of the new enrollment brochure are expected to be available in early January.

Tony Novak, MBA, MT, is a tax and benefits adviser based in Narberth, PA. His businesses Freedom Benefits Association and MedSave.com provide enrollment services to individuals and businesses nationwide

Use of intranets / extranets for HIPAA compliance

Collaboration among healthcare professionals, particularly in circumstances that require the sharing of confidential patient information, requires an intranet or extranet that offers enhanced security features.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has three major requirements:

* Protect the privacy of individual health information * Provide the necessary security to protect the privacy of individual health information * Provide standardization of electronic data interchange in health care transactions

Addressing this need, intranets and extranets are now available that meet these security requirements. As you consider the implementation of an intranet or extranet, look for the following security features:

* Secure web server with 128bit SSL encryption * Server monitoring * Secure IDs and passwords * Defined authority levels * Viewing permission controls * Session time out after 30 minutes * The ability to disable user-specific cookies, * The ability of users to change their own password, * The ability to create strong passwords. * Complete, un-editable activity log for security audits

Choosing a web-based solution

To speed the implementation of an intranet or extranet with these features, an increasingly popular approach is to use an Application Service Provider (ASP).

In addition to providing an immediate solution that has the appropriate security features in-place, the advantages of a web-based ASP include a lower cost of entry, a proven track-record of performance and no need to install intranet software or extranet software.

Laura Schwiker writes extensively on the use of technology by businesspeople and is an evangelist for online collaboration and collaboration software.

Laura Schwiker writes extensively on the use of technology by businesspeople and is an evangelist for online collaboration and collaboration software.

The Need for HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) includes seven sets of rules that will affect your practice. The Department of Health and Human Services, or DHHS, issues these in the form of the ""Notice of Proposed Rule Making"" or NPRM. Every practice, regardless of size, must comply with HIPAA privacy, security and transactional regulations. Moreover, adherence to all subsequent regulations is also required. This covers most everything in your practice, including your medical billing software.

When you are shopping for medical billing software, ask how and for whom the system was designed, and whether the data will be safe and secure on backed-up, protected, HIPAA-compliant servers accessible only to authorized persons. Look for companies who provide free updates to ensure continued efficiency and HIPAA compliance. The new HIPAA standards require huge changes to how healthcare organizations deal with their patient information, including coding, security, patient record management, reimbursement and care management. HIPAA‘s provisions include stringent codes for the unvarying transfer of electronic data, including routine alterations and billing.

Clearly your approach to HIPAA medical billing software must include a serious investigation of software security. Most computer experts will agree that there is no such thing as absolute computer or software security, so working closely with your HIPAA software providers to help determine data deficiencies is a good idea. HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software can be easily expanded to meet future needs, and can be targeted directly to the size and complexity of your practice. Options for new HIPAA compliant software have never been better, as there is unlimited scalability, a wide range of customization choices, and a large selection of useful features that will prevent the patients' privacy from being compromised.

Innovations in the technology of medical billing software have created a new criterion for digital precision. Make certain that the HIPAA compliant medical software packager you chose includes all finalized aspects of HIPAA to guarantee full compliance with HIPAA standards as they relate to the electronic transfer of protected health information. The regulations themselves took effect in February 2003, and affect every medical practice in the United States. Effective April 2005, HIPAA mandates security measures to physically and electronically secure electronic protected health information (PHI) against unauthorized retrieval, reliably store the electronic data, and provide for emergency access to the data.

Since most medical billing software packages are now designed to be HIPAA compliant, it is just a matter of choosing the right software for your practice, and your medical billing software will run as smoothly and efficiently as ever.

Medical Billing Software Info provides comprehensive information about medical insurance billing software, HIPAA compliant medical billing software, easy and free medical billing software, and medical billing software prices and reviews. Medical Billing Software Info is the sister site of Medical Billing Web.