Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): An Overview

Course Summary

Health clinicians have constant access to patients’ personal information, and healthcare facilities, clinicians and insurers must store and transmit patients’ personal information. In both instances, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides guidelines for how clinicians must protect the privacy of patients’ information and how healthcare facilities and other concerned parties must keep that information secure. Health clinicians are required to understand and be compliant with HIPAA. The HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security Rule are especially designed to protect patients, and significant fines and penalties can be brought against clinicians who violate these rules. Public health emergencies, pandemics, natural disasters, or other similar situations raise unique concerns and conflicts as the HIPAA privacy and security provisions are balanced with the need to protect public health.