HIPAA stands for Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It is a federal law requiring national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. It protects all “individually identifiable health information” held or transmitted by a covered entity or their business associate in any form electronic, paper, or oral.
What is a Covered Entity?
A covered entity is described as:
A health care provider - for example Doctors, Clinics, Psychologists, Dentists, Chiropractors, Nursing Homes, and pharmacies
A health plan - Health insurance companies, HMOs, Company health plans, and Government programs that pay for health care, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the military and veterans health care programs
A health care clearinghouse - entities that process nonstandard health information into standard information
