HIPAA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

HIPAA - Research Paper Example In such a situation Congress realized the requirement of security and privacy standards for the healthcare industry in order to avoid any misuse or abuse of electronic technology (History of HIPAA, n.d). Hence HIPAA was introduced to promote health insurance coverage for both individuals and groups, ensure better security and privacy, promote the use of medical savings account, make long-term services more accessible, and to frame standards for better administration and safer use of electronic technology in the healthcare industry such as the implementation of the national provider identifier (Overview of HIPAA, 2008). The HIPAA was signed by President Clinton on July 21, 1996 in lieu of several security, privacy and abuse in the healthcare industry. HIPAA guaranteed health insurance to all Americans and ensured simplification of administrative process in healthcare in order to increase the effective delivery of healthcare to all people. Additionally the security and privacy of healt h information was also protected under the act (Security and Privacy, 2001). The use of electronic technology in healthcare had vastly expanded during the 1990s. ... These privacy and security rules apply to three groups of covered entities (CE): health care provider, health plan and healthcare clearinghouse. The healthcare provider group includes health care service providers and suppliers who use the electronic form for transactions and other health care information such as doctors, clinics, psychologists, dentists, chiropractors, nursing homes and pharmacies. The health plan group includes individuals or groups that provide and pay for health care plans such as health insurance companies, HMOs, company health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, military and other health programs offered by the government. The healthcare clearinghouses include both public and private entities that receive non-standard health information and convert them into a standard content or vice versa (Privacy and Security, n.d; Security and Privacy, 2001). The HIPAA standards will also indirectly apply to business associates or partners of a covered entity such as software provid ers and other third party vendors (Privacy and Security, n.d). The standards devised by the HIPAA for the transactions carried out in the electronic form need to the adhered to by the CEs (Security and Privacy, 2001). The HIPAA standards include transactions and code sets, privacy and security and national provider identifier. The entities that comply with the HIPAA standards are required to use the same health care transactions, code sets and identifiers. The HIPAA standards for electronic data interexchange (EDI) is applicable to claims and claim status, encounter information, payments and remittance, inquiries, referral certification and authorization, enrollment or disenrollment in a health care plan, premium payments,

Influence of Drilling Fluid on oil Recovery in Homogenous Reservoirs Essay

Influence of Drilling Fluid on oil Recovery in Homogenous Reservoirs - Essay Example Needless to say, as significant as 70 percent produce of mines in the world, produce water contaminated by metals, which come from acid mines drainage and process streams (Srivastava & Majunder, 2008). The waste water, such as that containing metal and sulphate contaminates, are accompanied by far reaching environmental consequences. Moreover, the costs associated with managing these consequences are significant. This paper gives an overview of water contamination in the mining industries, followed by an exploration of the common methods under development and operation. Considering that current water treatment techniques have varied limitations, this paper proposes a way forward for mining industries to avoid water contamination. There are various elements within the earth crust, which include hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, sodium, magnesium, phosphorous, sulphur, chlorine, potassium and calcium. These constitute 99 percent of the earth living matter. On the other hand, there are fourteen essential elements. These include boron, fluorine, silicon, manganese, iron, cobalt, and copper, among others. Metals such as Mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, copper manganese and zinc are not essential, and their interaction with the aquatic environment is hazardous. On the other hand, heavy metals are a class of metallic elements that contain relatively high densities whose low concentrations are highly toxic. The atomic metals have atomic weight that range from 63.5 to 2006. Heavy metals can are additionally classified as toxic metals, precious metals and radio-nuclide. Radionuclides include uranium and thorium. Precious metals include silver and gold, among others (Srivastava & Majunder, 2008). Acid solutions resu lt from the interaction of the ground or of surface water with the acidic materials, such as pyrites that are found in rocks at the mines, piles of earthen refuse and auger holes. The iron sulphide mineral pyrites are usually found near subsurface coal seams, together with compounds containing aluminium and manganese, among other metals. In the presence of oxygen, rainwater or ground waters contact sulphur to form sulphuric acid. Acid concentration in the acid mine drainage can reach as significant levels such as ten thousand times the neutral water. Evidently, this presents a powerful leaching agent with the potential of dissolving significant amounts of metal substances, as well as additional leaching substances that are common at most mine sites. Rock layers and earth above the coalmines contain traces of metals such as iron, aluminium and manganese, but can also contain other heavy metals such as lead and cadmium (Han & Chan, 2006). These metals dissolve in the acid mine drainag e and are washed into water sources through run off. Eventually, such metal concentrations harm aquatic organisms such as fish. For instance, dissolved iron precipitates can kill aquatic organisms that serve as food for fishes. Iron precipitate can result in fish gill clogging. Additionally, iron precipitation in the drainage channels alter aquatic food chains; thereby adversely affecting fish populations. Treatment of waste water The concern for environmental scientists has been to establish possible ways of regulating hazardous metal concentrations and mitigate associated environmental concerns. Methods in the treatment of the acid mine drainage can be broadly categorized into two; active treatment and passive treatment methods. Active techniques entail mechanical addition of the alkaline solutions with the aim of raising PH concentrations besides precipitating metals. Passive treatment