1. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, requires HHS to establish guidelines, key principles and national standards for the handling of electronic healthcare transactions. HHS responded by creating the Privacy rule and seven regulatory steps that healthcare services organizations must follow. What are those steps? What kinds of things are you involved in, in your organization, that would apply to these steps?

2. The change in reimbursement systems from a cost basis to a prospective payment system, the decrease in inpatient occupancy and emergence of price competition make cost containment a top priority for all healthcare managers. What are the four implications of cost containment and where does management engineering fit in with them? Give an example from your organization.

Your answer should be a minimum of 200 words, posted by Wednesday at midnight. 80% of your grade is based on your initial response. In addition, you mustrespond to another student, or to your instructor, by Saturday at midnight, using at least 50 words.