Definition: HIPPA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (or HIPPA) creates a national standard for protecting the privacy of a patient’s personal health information.

Enacted into Federal law in 1996, HIPPA requires healthcare organizations that use electronic methods to conduct and process transactions (including but not limited to healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses) to use standardized forms and universal codes for illnesses and treatments.

Importantly, HIPPA also defines the necessary processes and safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of an individual’s health information. Formally defined in 2003, HIPPA specifies a series of administrative, technical, and physical security procedures to assure the confidentiality of electronic protected health information. These procedures were developed to protect the patient.

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