Learning about HIPAA

HIPAA is an acronym that stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is a statute that was enacted in 1996 and is also referred to as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Act.

HIPAA, a unified federal statute, is meant to address the healthcare and healthcare insurance industries regarding data management, as well as safeguard sensitive data managed in these two industries from possible theft and fraud. The act is categorized into five titles. The second title is of particular interest as it deals with data management. HIPAA title II provides requirements and provisions that guide the establishment of national standards for electronic transactions, as well as identifiers for health and insurance providers, health plans, and employers. It also targets user privacy and the security of healthcare information.

With the technology and integral nature of electronic transactions, healthcare and insurance industries oversee huge amounts of personally identifiable...