How does the HIPAA Privacy Rule affect a physician’s or hospital’s decision to participate?
A. The final Privacy Rule has been published as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Health care providers who transmit financial and administrative health information electronically must comply with the Rule as of April 14, 2003. The Privacy Rule permits physicians and hospitals to make disclosures of protected health information without patient authorization for public health purposes or for research that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board with a waiver of patient authorization. The NAMCS and NHAMCS meet both of these criteria. Additionally, disclosures may be made under a data use agreement with NCHS.
