HIPAA & FACTA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was implemented to ensure healthcare organizations in the US will e responsible for the secure handling and storage of "protected health infomation". Covered entities include all organizations or individuals that collect or retain health related information. These include but are not limited to the following:

• Hospitals
• Insurance Companies
• Counselors/Therapists
• Medical Centers
• Doctors/Dentists
• Collection Agencies

HIPAA applies criminal penalties to anyone violating the law, not just the company. Any individuals who handle "protected health information" are all potentially liable for mishandling confidential information. A non-conforming organization, or individual, can be subject to severe fines, penalties or litigation.   Examples of items to shred due to HIPAA:

• Patient Medical Records
• Insurance Records
• X-Rays
• Billing Records
• Claim Forms
• Prescriptions

The Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA)

The law applies to virtually every person and business. It requires destruction of all consumer information before it is descareded. The Act states "any person who maintains or otherwise possesses consumer information for a business purpose must properly dispose of such information and take reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access to or use of the information in connection with its disposal". Reasonable measures are defined by the Act as "burning, pulverizing, or shredding of papers containing consumer information". 

Another option available is for a company to enter into an ageement "with another party engaged in buisness of record destruction to dispose of material, specifically identified as consumer information, in a manner consistent with this rule". 

The government is authorized to bring enforcement actions against violators of FACTA in addition to those severe penalties, there are also civil liability issues or class action lawsuits that can prove financial damaging to violators. 

use our services to remain in compliance with the law.

Call (570) 825-2880 today to schedule services.