What Is Healthcare Security Law?

Healthcare Security Law

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) established U.S. regulations to protect the privacy and security of individual health information. The healthcare security law creates these specific protections through both the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security Rule. The Privacy Rule has set national standards for the protection of certain types of health information. The Security Rule established security standards for protecting consumers’ health information that is stored or transferred electronically. The healthcare Security Rule outlines the operational safeguards that organizations must implement to keep protected electronic health information secure.

The Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights is charged with enforcing the Privacy and Security Rules through compliance activities and civil penalties. Before HIPAA’s passage, there were no legally established security standards or general health information protections for citizens in the U.S.