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Health Information Services/Medical Records
General Information about the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
About the
HIPAA Privacy Rule
- On August 14, 2002, the United States
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the
final Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) Privacy regulations. Most providers covered by HIPAA’s
Privacy regulations (e.g., hospital, doctors, public health
departments, clinics) were required to comply with these
regulations as of April 14, 2003.
- The Privacy Rule (45 CFR Part 160 and
Subparts A and E of Part 164) provides the first comprehensive
Federal protection for the privacy of health information. The
Privacy Rule was carefully balanced to provide strong privacy
protections that do not interfere with patient access to, or the
quality of health care delivery.
- The HIPAA Privacy Rule for the first time
created national standards to protect individual’s medical
records and other personal health information.
- It gives patients more control
over their health information.
- It sets boundaries on the use
and release of health records.
- It establishes appropriate safeguards that health care providers and others must
achieve to protect the privacy of health information.
- It holds violators accountable,
with civil and criminal penalties that can be imposed if
they violate patients’ privacy rights.
- And it strikes a balance when public responsibility supports disclosure of some forms
of data – for example, to protect public health.
For additional information visit the official
federal government hub for all HIPAA issues at
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa
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