Title: Module 2 Introduction: (CU1 M2) Health Care Reform
Course: SkillsCom CRS 110 14.0 > Section: Credit Unit 1 Module 2

There are many changes occurring within the arena of health care and health care reform. One of the major reasons why the health care system in the United States is undergoing dramatic revision and reform has to do with the number of uninsured and/or underinsured individuals.  Another contributing factor and reason for this current dilemma resides in the cost of insurance and the cost of health care.

Specifically, health care reform is centered around broad categories of change:

1. Increasing the population of individuals receiving health care coverage.

2. Increasing the number of health care providers available to the public.

3. Improving access to specialists providing health care.

4. Improving the quality of health care.

5. Decreasing the cost of health care goods and services.

6. Patient privacy

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barak Obama on March 23, 2010, as a proposed solution to "fix" the broken American health care system.

In addition, the HIPAA law has also changed healthcare.  This Module will discuss these items.

All of these new reforms will impact you as a coder on a daily basis, so having a thorough understanding of them is important.

Module Outcomes:

- Identify the components of Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH)
- Describe the components of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Demonstrate working knowledge of Affordable Care Act: History and Practice
- Differentiate between fraud and abuse