Privacy Policy / HIPAA
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996)
What is HIPAA?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 mandates significant changes in the legal and regulatory environments governing the provision of health benefits, the delivery and the payment of healthcare services, and the security and confidentiality of individually identifiable, protected health information.
The law is composed of two major legislative actions: provisions for health insurance reform and requirements for administrative simplification. Complying with all aspects of HIPAA will require providers and virtually all entities within the healthcare industry (including clinical research) to make significant changes to their information systems, operations policies and procedures and business practices.
Failure to comply with any of the electronic data, security or privacy standards can result in civil monetary penalties up to $25,000 per standard year. Violation of the privacy regulations for commercial or malicious purposes can result in criminal penalties of $50,000 to $250,000 in fines and one to ten years of imprisonment. The Civil Rights Division of the DHHS is charged with enforcement and is recognized as a stringent "enforcer." Providers who fail to comply also run the risk of violating public trust which can have untold public relations impacts. |
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