What is HIPAA?

• HIPAA stand for The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

• In 1996, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has developed regulation to protect the privacy and security of certain health information known as HIPAA.

• To fulfill this requirement, HHS published what are commonly known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security Rule.

  • The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically.

  • The HIPAA Security Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals’ electronic personal health information that is created, received, used, or maintained by a covered entity. The Security Rule requires appropriate administrative, physical and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and security of electronic protected health information.

Why this regulation formed?

In 2000, the patient diagnosed with depression received free sample of anti-depressant medication in their mail. This confuse patient that how the pharmaceutical companies know about their health condition. Then along and thorough investigation discovered the breach of patients health confidential data. This is one of many reasons the Federal Government needs to step in and create HIPAA to protect patient health information.

To learn the more about HIPAA regulation. Please go through this course.