What You Should Know About The HIPAA Privacy And Security Rules
The requirements of the Privacy and Security Rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 affect nearly every U.S. enterprise that provides health care services, sponsors an employee health plan, pays or processes health care claims, or stores and processes health care information. The Final HIPAA Enforcement Rule, which went into effect on March 16, 2006, is a serious matter for all organizations that are subject to the regulations. Failure to comply can result in penalty fines and, possibly, criminal sanctions.