Posts tagged 'PHI'

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently receiving public commentary on a proposed rule to expand the right of individuals to demand and receive "access reports" identifying who accessed their protected health information and why. Under the Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, individuals currently have a right to obtain such infor...

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), despite a health industry outcry, has forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a proposed rule allowing patients to request information about the disclosure of their protected health information (PHI). An OMB review can take anywhere from one to 90 days to complete. After that, the rule generally takes effect in 30 to 60 days. The...

Though on Aug. 4 it withdrew its Interim Final Rule regarding HIPAA security breach notifications, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has since clarified on its Web site that the suspended rule of Sept. 23, 2009, remains in effect. "This is a complex issue and the Administration is committed to ensuring that individuals’ health information is secured to the extent poss...

Well, not quite. They can't legally be published online or in a print publication, but they can be shared with too many groups without our consent. Most people have never heard of HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, but that law is the source of what privacy rights we have and don't have. HIPAA directed the federal government to establish privacy rules for p...