What is HIPAA ?

  What is HIPAA?

   The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a U.S. law that was enacted in 1996. It has two main purposes: to protect the health insurance coverage of workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs, and to establish national standards to protect the privacy and security of personal health information.

What is HIPAA

The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes standards for the protection of personal health information, including requirements for who can access and use this information, and under what circumstances. The HIPAA Security Rule establishes standards for securing electronic protected health information (ePHI), including requirements for technical safeguards, physical safeguards, and administrative safeguards.

The HIPAA regulations apply to a wide range of organizations and individuals, including healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. HIPAA violations can result in civil and criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment.

What is the purpose of HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has two main purposes: to protect the health insurance coverage of workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs, and to establish national standards to protect the privacy and security of personal health information.

In terms of protecting health insurance coverage, HIPAA provides certain protections for individuals who lose their group health coverage, such as the ability to purchase individual health insurance policies, and the ability to continue group health coverage under certain circumstances.

In terms of protecting the privacy and security of personal health information, HIPAA establishes national standards for the use and disclosure of personal health information, including the requirement that covered entities have appropriate safeguards in place to protect this information. HIPAA also gives individuals the right to access and control their personal health information, and provides for penalties for covered entities that fail to comply with HIPAA's requirements.