Question

Please describe HIPAA and the Privacy Rule. What are they and how are they enforced

Answer 1

Ans) The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically.

- The Privacy Rule establishes standards to protect an individual's medical records and other protected health information (PHI). It concerns the uses and disclosures of PHI and defines an individual's rights to access, and regulates how their medical information is used.

- HIPAA Enforcement
HHS' Office for Civil Rights is responsible for enforcing the Privacy and Security Rules. Enforcement of the Privacy Rule began April 14, 2003 for most HIPAA covered entities. OCR became responsible for enforcing the Security Rule on July 27, 2009.

- The HIPAA privacy rule is enforced by the OCR, the Department of Justice to a lesser extent, and, recently, the FCC has waded into HIPAA enforcement for the privacy of health data through its mandate to protect consumers.