Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a United States federal regulation introduced to protect the privacy, integrity, and security of personal health information (PHI). It establishes standardized requirements for how healthcare data is collected, stored, accessed, and shared across electronic healthcare systems.
HIPAA consists primarily of the Privacy Rule and the Security Rule. The Privacy Rule governs how PHI may be used and disclosed by covered entities, while the Security Rule defines safeguards for protecting electronic PHI (ePHI). Together, these rules ensure healthcare organizations maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability of patient information.
