The United States healthcare system includes health plans, physicians, hospitals, clinics, consumers, and public health programs. When a consumer selects a health plan, doctor and another health professional, his information such as a social security number or diagnosis may pass through many hands, computer systems and files. "Almost all of us are aware that our personal information is being collected and stored by many different entities" (Soloye). Today, Healthcare organizations are required by law to protect that and all other patient related information while still providing superior service.
             The information age has forced government legislation to help bolster an individual patient's privacy. "In the past decade, we have undergone a dramatic transformation in the way we shop, bank, and go about our daily business--changes that have resulted in an unprecedented proliferation of records and data." (Soloye) The new HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) laws, for example, are an attempt to create a semblance of patient care privacy regulations. The objective of this act was to assist the healthcare industry in securing their electronic data. Ironically, the HIPAA rules apply to all healthcare related data, not just computer related data. But the most crucial issues are computer related. Also, the burden will also fall on governmental agencies to meet the strict HIPAA standards for which all health plans, clearinghouses, and providers must comply. Independence Blue Cross is one of the east coast's leading health insurers located out of Philadelphia. New governmental regulations have created all new issues for companies like Blue Cross. Providers like Blue Cross need to constantly find new ways to manage their enrollees
             effectively and also to monitor their contracts with their system's providers and healthcare facilities. These requirements must mesh to help the company continue to make sound financia...