HIPAA: Administrative Simplification (A/S) : Definition - HIPAA, Health Care and Health Care Informatics Terms - Define HIPAA: Administrative Simplification (A/S) is defined

HIPAA: Administrative Simplification (A/S)

HIPAA aims to improve accountability in part through what it calls administrative simplification (A/S) - a term that translates, roughly, as "promoting efficiency".

The general aim of A/S is to promote efficiency - through the use of information technology.

A/S is Title II, Subtitle F, of HIPAA, which gives HHS the authority:

To mandate the use of standards for the electronic exchange of health care data (EDI);
To specify what medical and administrative code sets should be used within those standards;
To require the use of national identification systems for health care patients, providers, payers (or plans), and employers (or sponsors); and
To specify the types of measures required to protect the security and privacy of personally identifiable health care information.

Broader use of computer systems increased concerns about misuse of patient's health information, hence the inclusion of privacy and security provisions as part of HIPAA along with EDI standards.