With the enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Procurement Act (HIPAA) in 1996, many issues surrounding the electronic privacy and security of protected health information have come under scrutiny. HIPAA law covers health information privacy and security, in addition to health insurance portability.

“The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-191), often referred to as “HIPAA” or the “Kennedy/Kassebaum” law after its lead cosponsors, Senators Nancy Landon Kassebaum and Edward Kennedy, was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton in August, 1996.” (Michael & Pritchett, 2001, p.524) HIPAA regulates various aspects of healthcare and health information, ensures reasonable efforts to ensure patient confidentiality, and guards against improper disclosure of information. HIPAA affects the entire h

In effect since April of 2003, the HIPAA privacy rules create the standard for the protection of identifiable patient health information. Any health information concerning the treatment, payment, or health care operations necessary in the provision of past, or present physical or mental care of an individual is considered as protected. Many feel that the healthcare industry is increasing its class of protections to be more in line with the financial sector (Van Scoye, 2002, p.26). Healthcare providers can face civil and criminal charges for non-compliance.

“The innovation that has made our medicine the world’s best has not been applied to our health information systems.”(Bush, 2004, p.2) With the enactment of HIPAA, electronic privacy and security issues are being defined and standards are being set. The future of health information technology is expanding with expectations of a secure and private electronic health record in the next

Some topics in this essay:
Human Services, Norman Burroughs, Portability Renewability, Administrative Simplification, Michael Pritchett, Van Scoye, Act HIPAA, Accountability Act, health information, Provider Identifier, Services CMS, health insurance, health care, health insurance portability, insurance portability, privacy security, information technology, human services, health human, electronic privacy security, electronic privacy, health human services, health care industry, norman burroughs 2002, hipaa law,