Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Enacted by the 104th U.S. Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton on 21 August 1996, HIPAA governs how personally identifiable health information maintained by the healthcare and insurance industries is protected from fraud and theft. Its Privacy Rule bars use or disclosure of protected health information without written patient authorization except under defined exceptions, applying a minimum necessary standard, and its Security Rule requires administrative, physical and technical safeguards on electronic health information. Its 2013 Final Omnibus Rule, implementing the 2009 HITECH Act, extended these duties to business associates as well as covered entities.