What is HIPAA and what is its relationship to the Privacy Rule?
HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. HIPAA primarily addressed issues of insurance coverage, but in addition, it required the development of a law that would provide privacy protections for health information. HIPAA requested that Congress pass a comprehensive law, but if Congress was unable to do so, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was required to write regulation. Congress did not pass a law and the Privacy Rule was written by DHHS.
Related Questions
- What is the relationship between HIPAA and the human subjects protection regulations of the Common Rule for which IRB review was established?
- By establishing new waiver criteria and authorization requirements, hasn t the HIPAA Privacy Rule, in effect, modified the Common Rule?
- My State law is more proactive of HIV information. Is it preempted by the HIPAA Privacy Rule?
