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HIPAA
(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996) provides health care coverage continuity
by ensuring greater accountability and simplifying
administrative functions within the health care
industry. The new Oral Privacy standards include
strict new requirements for oral transmission of
health information. Many types of health care
organizations are affected by these new regulations.
Organizations affected by HIPAA
include hospitals, pharmacies, physician offices,
medical clinics, and public health clinics.
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Experience
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Any organization
which engages in HIPAA transactions on-site, and
corporations relating to the operation of the facility
or industry, such as a health plan or health care
provider is also affected.
Designing
for Oral Privacy
We use ASTM standards in measuring sound
transmission class (STC) and impact insulation class
(IIC). These standards are also used to define speech
privacy as the measured Articulation Index (AI)
of less than .20. The Articulation Index represents
a method of predicting understood speech for both
speakers and listeners. Privacy in conversation
is vital in reception areas, private offices, and
administrative and consultation areas. There are
many ways to design these spaces to adhere to HIPAA
standards. Using acoustic treatments in sensitive
areas and masking speech with background mechanical
noise are two methods which SSA Acoustics has used
in past projects. HIPAA regulations have to
be implemented as a renovation of an existing facility,
or incorporated into the design of new facilities.
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