World Wide Web consortium as it applies to HIPPA Abstract

The government of the U.S.A. enacted the HIPAA in 1966. In the Information and Technology sector, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is one of the standards. W3C has to ensure that, software, applications, and other web tools that are meant for use in the healthcare industry adhere to the set HIPAA guidelines. W3C standards have been able to strongly support the individualization of web tools through firm design guidelines and principles and solid web architecture. The HIPAA requires 128-bit encryption therefore; the W3C requires that this be the minimum encryption level. The W3C recommends that healthcare providers integrate security protocols that are effective to their network systems as required by the HIPAA. The W3C is a crucial party in the implementation of HIPAA policies and for healthcare providers to ensure effectively with HIPAA privacy policies

Introduction

In the modern marketplace, security standards and the compliance of the same has become an important issue for the success of an enterprise and it has become a stepping stone for attracting clients globally. In the Information and Technology sector, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is one of the standards and its role includes development and interpolation of tools, guidelines, software, and specification that are crucial in facilitating the web realize its full potential (World Wide Web Consortium, 2017). Towards this role, and in particular, ensuring that clinical health-related data is handled securely, the W3C has to comply with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 (Luxton, Kayl & Mishkind, 2012). This paper therefore will seek to establish how the W3C complies with the specifications laid down by the HIPAA. This will be done through a review of the responsibilities, duties, and work of the W3C in furthering the stipulations of the HIPAA.

The HIPAA – background and application

The government of the U.S.A. enacted the HIPAA in 1966 with the aim of giving mandate for the creation of national standards for the transaction of healthcare electronically. The objective of the HIPAA is to regulate through its privacy rule, the electronic transmission of data contained in healthcare records which are used by healthcare professionals, hospitals, and third parties e.g. insurance companies. In addition, the Act forbids the transmission of information on a patient’s health status to third parties, except those that are performing certain functions on behalf of the patient (Luxton et al., 2012). The Act, under Title II, provides policies, procedures, and guidelines for the maintenance of privacy and security of personal healthcare information. This section also...

In addition, patient’s health information can be disclosed to healthcare providers for purposes of treatment, payment, or other healthcare operations (Alshugran & Dichter, 2014). Any other authorizations for disclosure that are beyond the two provisions should be made in a written form.
In the modern day healthcare marketplace, as a result of advancement in IT, there is an increased transfer of health-related information, especially through doctor-patient Apps. Moreover, information in the network systems is vulnerable and hackers typically take advantage of their knowledge of web technology and access the protected data without the prerequisite authorization. According to statistics, persons today take advantage of web technology to access or transmit patient’s protected information for instance, web technology accounts for sox percent of HIPAA violations (Alshugran & Dichter, 2014; Luxton et al., 2012). It is to this end that, W3C has a critical role in the furtherance of HIPAA rules.

W3C and application of HIPAA

The mission of W3C is to assist individuals in the creation of technologies for humanity. To achieve this goal, W3C provides a platform for communication, business, and general understanding through the creation of standards and guidelines. Other activities W3C engages in include education, outreach, software development, and an open discussion forum (World Wide Web Consortium, 2017). W3C basic principles are to improve communication among persons through the development and maintenance of the World Wide Web regardless of location, language, and culture. Towards the realization its mission, W3C has to ensure that, software, applications, and other web tools that are meant for use in the healthcare industry adhere to the set HIPAA guidelines (Reay et al., 2012). As a result, W3C has to audit these web tools before they are published or lunched for use with the aim of ensure that patient information and health-related data is not compromised.

In the modern day IT environment, access to web tools has immensely grown as every person with a Smartphone, a tablet, interactive television, and some domestic appliances can access the web. W3C standards have been able to strongly support the individualization of web tools through firm design guidelines and principles and solid web architecture. Even though the increased access to web tools is an advantage, it also raises a concern on security and integrity of data (Wimalasiri, Ray & Wilson, 2005).…