Becoming federal law in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) safeguards patient health information and puts consumers in control of their medical data. HIPAA affords important rights to American consumers and supports a more open and transparent system of managing patient records as a result.
How does HIPAA protect patients?
HIPAA offers a few safeguards to patients, including:
- Security Rule – Establishes different safeguards to secure patient information. Safeguards can be digital or physical, depending on the type of data.
- Privacy Rule – Provides patients access to their medical records and prevents covered entities from disclosing information without getting a patient’s consent.
- Breach Notification Rule – Obligates that patients are notified when their data may have been involved in a breach.
What Is Protected Health Information (PHI)?
PHI is all data that identifies patients. In addition to medical records, PHI also includes social security numbers, billing data, and contact information.
Who must follow HIPAA rules and regulations?
Covered entities include healthcare providers, insurance companies, and any third parties who have access to medical records (such as billing and IT companies).
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