The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) is a U.S. federal law that requires medical practices to protect the privacy of your health information.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects all "individually identifiable health information" an organization holds or transmits, no matter the format.
Concurrently, the HIPAA Security Rule outlines specific administrative, physical, and technical safeguards an organization must implement to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of health information.
HIPAA established privacy standards that protect patients’ medical records, as well as health information provided to insurance plans, doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers.
HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs. It also established national standards for electronic health care transactions, plus national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides guidance and detailed information about HIPAA rules, regulations, and compliance.