What is the importance of patient confidentiality?
Respecting a patient’s confidentiality regarding medical histories and treatments is one of the most import aspects of medical coding and billing work. These medical professionals have a unique level of access to very private medical information. They are held to the same ethical standard as MDs or other medical professionals when it comes to maintaining patient confidentiality. Billing and coding specialists must have the integrity to maintain the confidentiality of patient medical histories. The issue of patient privacy is so important that congress enacted The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996 to establish national standards for how patient health records are electronically stored and transmitted. Learn more about the medical billing and coding career path.
