Understanding HIPAA Privacy & Security

HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) is legislation that provides privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information. HIPAA establishes national standards to protect personal or Protected Health Information (PHI).

PHI includes:

• A name, address, birth date, or social security number
• An individual’s physical or mental health condition
• Any care provided to an individual
• Information concerning the payment for the care provided to the individual that identifies the patient, or information for which there is a reasonable basis to believe could be used to identify the patient