The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a set of regulatory guidelines that define the permissible uses and disclosures of patients’ protected health information (PHI). It is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The HIPAA Privacy Rule, also known as the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, sets national standards for protecting specific health information. The Security Rule establishes a national set of security requirements to protect certain health information stored or transmitted electronically.

The Privacy Rule’s protections are enforced by the Security Rule, which mandates technical and nontechnical measures that covered entities must implement to secure electronically protected health information (e-PHI). The OCR enforces the Privacy and Security Rules through civil money penalties and initiatives promoting voluntary compliance.

HHS emphasizes that HIPAA compliance is crucial as healthcare providers and organizations handling PHI transition to computerized operations, such as computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, electronic health records (EHR), and radiology, pharmacy, and laboratory systems. These electronic technologies enhance productivity and portability but also increase security risks to healthcare information.

The Security Rule ensures the privacy of individuals’ health information while allowing covered entities to use innovative technology to improve patient care quality and efficiency. It is designed to be flexible, enabling covered entities to develop policies, procedures, and technologies suited to their size, organizational structure, and the specific threats to patients’ and consumers’ e-PHI.