The HIPAA Privacy Rule: Reviewing the Post-Compliance Impact on Public Health Practice and Research

• Published in: The Journal of law, medicine & ethics medicine & ethics, 2003-12, Vol.31 (s4), p.70-72
• Main Authors: Kutkat, Lora, Hodge, James G., Jeffry, Thomas, Bontá, Diana M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bioethics; Bonta, Diana M; Compliance; Confidentiality - legislation & jurisprudence; Government regulation; Health insurance; Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act 1996-US; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; Health technology assessment; Hodge, James G Jr; Humans; Jeffry, Thomas Jr; Kutkat, Lora; Laws, regulations and rules; Legislation; Practice; Privacy; Privacy, Right of; Public health; Public health law; Public Health Practice - legislation & jurisprudence; Right of privacy; Rules; Social impact; United States
• ISSN: 1073-1105; 1748-720X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-720X.2003.tb00758.x

Current economic conditions have coincided with the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and forced public health officials to consider how to ethically incorporate compliance into their already strained budgets, while maintaining the integrity and intent of the legislation. As of April 14, 2003, the HIPAA Privacy Rule provides a new federal floor of protections for personal health information. The Privacy Rule establishes standards for the protection of health information held by many physicians’ offices, health plans, and health care clearinghouses. The Rule protects personal health information by establishing conditions regulating the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health information by these entities, also referred to as covered entities. The Rule does not prevent the daily operations of health care establishments (i.e., the treatment of patients and the collection of payment).