Health Insurance Portability

Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPPA) [August 21, 1996]
Enacted as part of a broad Congressional attempt at incremental healthcare
reform. This requires the United States Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS) to develop standards and requirements for the
maintenance and transmission of health information that identifies
individual patients. Healthcare providers and health plans are required
to create privacy-conscious business practices, which include the
requirement that only the minimum amount of health information necessary
is disclosed. In addition, business practices should ensure the
internal protection of medical records, employee privacy training and
education, creation of a mechanism for addressing patient privacy complaints,
and the designation of a privacy officer.