What is HIPPA and how does it apply to research?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) establishes conditions under which protected health information (PHI) may be used or disclosed by covered entities for research purposes [45 CFR ยงยง 164.501, 164.508(f), 164.512(i) ]. The Privacy Rule outlined in HIPAA defines the means by which individuals/human research subjects are informed of how medical information about them will be used or disclosed, and their rights with regard to gaining access to information about them when such information is held by covered entities. In the course of conducting research, researchers may create, use, and/or disclose individually identifiable health information. Under the Privacy Rule, covered entities are permitted to use and disclose PHI for research with individual authorization, or without individual authorization under limited circumstances. The Privacy Rule permits researchers to use and disclose PHI for research when participants authorize the use or disclosure of informati
