HIPAA provides guidelines to help us protect your privacy. Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (TCHHSA) follows the protective health information guidelines mandated by the privacy practices detailed in the Notice of Practices (pdf). If you are a patient or client of TCHHSA you may obtain a paper copy of this Notice of Practices (pdf) at any of the TCHHSA health care centers or mental health clinics. You may also obtain a copy from the Privacy Official by contacting 559-737-4660, x2533.
HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Congress enacted HIPAA to deal with a wide array of health care issues. HIPAA applies to both public and private organizations that are referred to as Covered Entities. Covered Entities include providers of health services, insurance plans and health care clearinghouses. Health care clearinghouses are third party organizations that provide billing and accounting services to providers and plans. HIPAA insures that workers and their families can still get health insurance coverage when they change or lose their jobs. HIPAA has simplified health care billing, given providers national identifiers, mandated standards for electronic data interchange and published regulations that protect patient health information across the United States.
