By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress management for healthcare workers
    3 Tips For Healthcare Professionals: How To Stay Beautiful, Healthy, and Happy
    November 2, 2021
    importance of relaxing on the weekend for your health
    Importance of Relaxing During the Weekend for Optimal Health
    March 25, 2022
    LASIK Eye Surgery
    What Is LASIK Eye Surgery?
    May 16, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Social Media Safety: Virtual Connections Provide Realtime Results
    October 23, 2014
    Reframing Gun Control as a Public Health Issue
    January 12, 2013
    Changing the Narrative of Healthcare Culture
    January 28, 2015
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 20, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 20, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 20, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: What to Know About Health Information Privacy Law
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > What to Know About Health Information Privacy Law
Policy & Law

What to Know About Health Information Privacy Law

HIPAA is a very important law designed to protect healthcare data for patients.

Alice Jackson
Alice Jackson
Share
5 Min Read
HIPAA
Shutterstock Licensed Photo - 1819397081 | Vitalii Vodolazskyi
SHARE

Almost everyone in the United States of America recognizes the name HIPAA — but only a small fraction truly understands what it means. HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and it is a federal law that first passed in 1996 and has been updated regularly since.

Contents
  • What the HIPAA Privacy Rule States
  • What the HIPAA Security Rule States

Though HIPAA does many things for patients, its most famous impact is in its mandated protection of patient health information, which revolutionized how all healthcare entities, from doctor’s offices and hospitals to insurance providers and even employers create, store, request and transfer health information.

No matter who you are within the healthcare system — a provider or patient — you need to know more about how HIPAA works. This guide should get you through the HIPAA basics, so you can use patient data safely, securely and legally from now on.

What the HIPAA Privacy Rule States

The most important component of HIPAA by far, and the one that makes this otherwise obscure federal law relevant to everyone, is the Privacy Rule. The Privacy Rule defines what constitutes personal health information and dictates how it may be used and disclosed by any entities subject to the law. These so-called “covered entities” include:

More Read

Long-Term use of Nicotine Replacement Products
Patient Non-Adherence Is A Physician-Patient Communication Challenge
What Developers Need to Know About HIPAA Compliance in Wearable Tech
Human Infected with New Bird Flu Virus Investigated by Taiwan Scientists
Health eVillages: mHealth Tools for Underserved Regions Worldwide (podcast)

All healthcare providers, regardless of size or specialty.

All providers of health plans, to include insurers, health maintenance organizations, government- and church-sponsored plans, employer-sponsored groups and more.

All healthcare clearinghouses, which tend to process health data for health plans.

All business associates, which pay provide business services to other covered entities.

Covered entities are permitted to use disclose health information without receiving authorization from individuals, but they can only use health information in specific ways Some of those ways include:

Disclosure to an individual. The individual should always be able to access their own health information.

Treatment. Health providers need to be able to access health information to develop and perform treatment plans.

Payment. Healthcare payment systems require the disclosure of healthcare services.

Research. Limited amounts of personal health information can be used to conduct research to improve public health or healthcare operations.

Public interest. There are 12 so-called national priority purposes that involve the use of personal health information, and these include when disclosure of health information is required by law, when it involves abuse, neglect or other types of domestic violence and concerns about public health, such as exposure to communicable diseases or product recalls.

It is worth noting that individuals themselves are not considered covered entities. If you, as an individual, wish to disclose your health information — to anyone — you have full authority to do so. In fact, this is how most health information becomes publicly available; an individual posts their health information on social media or willingly shares it with their employer. These are legal uses of personal health information, though they may result in the exposure of a person’s personal health information to unintended or unwanted parties.

What the HIPAA Security Rule States

Another critical component of HIPAA is the Security Rule. Though not as well-known as the Privacy Rule, the Security Rule is nonetheless essential to protecting digital personal health information. In short, the Security Rule requires that all covered entities engage in certain levels of cybersecurity activity and behavior to prevent unauthorized access of health information. For example, covered entities must work to safeguard their digital health data against known threats and take steps to prevent anticipated impermissible uses of health information.

Though this general guide might make it seem that HIPAA is easy to understand and uphold, the truth is that there is plenty of nuance within the text of the law. Most covered entities are careful to utilize the expertise of administration professionals equipped with a health information management degree to ensure that they remain totally compliant with HIPAA.

Your health information can be remarkably sensitive, and there are good reasons for you to want to keep your health information as private as possible. Fortunately, HIPAA has clear rules for the entities most likely to come into contact with your health information to reduce the likelihood that your sensitive data will be spread around without your express permission.

TAGGED:HIPAApatient privacy
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Alice Jackson
Follow:
Alice Jackson is a business consultant, blogger, social media enthusiast, online market analyst, amateur designer and an avid author at Designhill. She has written on several topics including social media marketing, SEO, content marketing, startup strategies and e-commerce. When she’s not writing, she loves spending her time reading romantic novels. Connect with her on Twitter: @jackson_alice1

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Health careWellness

Holistic Medicine vs. Western Medicine: What You Should Know In 2019

January 14, 2019
healthcare policy
Health ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

How the Left and the Right View the Race to the Bottom

September 24, 2013

Obesity – A Disease?

March 4, 2011
HIE
BusinesseHealthHealth ReformHospital AdministrationMedical RecordsPolicy & LawPublic HealthTechnology

Collaboration and Federation: IHE Creating Direct Project Provider Directory

June 7, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?