Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Practice Exam

With the implementation of HIPAA, are large health care providers expected to receive faster service compared to smaller rural providers?

1. True

2. False

3. Only for electronic claims

4. It's not related to size

The correct answer is: False

The assertion that large health care providers are expected to receive faster service compared to smaller rural providers is inaccurate. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was designed to enhance the privacy and security of health information and to streamline the process of electronic health transactions. The key principle behind HIPAA is to standardize these transactions, which means that all health care providers, regardless of their size, should have the same access to efficient processing of health care information. Under HIPAA, many of the administrative processes, like claims submissions and patient information exchanges, are standardized and regulated. While larger providers may have more resources to implement these standards, HIPAA itself does not mandate that they will inherently receive faster service. Instead, the act aims to provide a uniform framework that will improve the efficiency of transactions across the board, benefiting both large and small providers. In essence, the service speed is not determined by the size of the healthcare provider but by their ability to comply with HIPAA standards and utilize electronic systems effectively. Therefore, it's not accurate to say that large providers inherently receive faster service when HIPAA regulations apply.