HIPAA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Federal law protecting sensitive patient health information from disclosure.
What is HIPAA?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) establishes national standards for protecting sensitive patient health information. HIPAA applies to covered entities (healthcare providers, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses) and their business associates who handle Protected Health Information (PHI).
HIPAA consists of the Privacy Rule, which protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information, and the Security Rule, which sets standards for securing electronic PHI (ePHI). The Breach Notification Rule requires notification following a breach of unsecured PHI.
Who Needs HIPAA?
- Healthcare providers (doctors, clinics, hospitals)
- Health insurance companies and health plans
- Healthcare clearinghouses
- Business associates of covered entities
- Health tech companies handling PHI
Key Requirements
Core compliance areas for HIPAA
Privacy Rule
Establishes standards for protecting PHI and patient rights regarding their health information.
Security Rule
Requires administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for electronic PHI.
Breach Notification
Notify affected individuals, HHS, and media (in some cases) following a PHI breach.
Business Associate Agreements
Written contracts with vendors and partners who handle PHI on your behalf.
Minimum Necessary
Limit PHI use and disclosure to the minimum necessary to accomplish the intended purpose.
Benefits of HIPAA Compliance
- Avoid penalties up to $1.5M per violation category per year
- Protect patient trust and reputation
- Reduce risk of costly data breaches
- Enable partnerships with healthcare organizations
- Qualify for healthcare contracts
- Demonstrate commitment to patient privacy
How PartnerAlly Helps with HIPAA
Streamline your path to HIPAA compliance with our AI-powered platform.
Official Resources
Related Frameworks
SOC 2
The gold standard for demonstrating security practices to enterprise customers and partners.
GDPR
The EU's comprehensive data protection law that sets the global standard for privacy rights.
NIST CSF
Voluntary framework providing standards and best practices for managing cybersecurity risk.