Keeping Up with Health Care Privacy Laws
The rules for maintaining the health information privacy of patients have changed as of April 14, 2003, when the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or (HIPAA), took effect. Now doctor's offices, hospitals, insurance companies and other who handle personally identifiable medical information on a daily basis must have written rules on how the information will be protected. The biggest problem to date with the new law is a lack of broad public awareness. The more people who are aware of HIPPA the more likely that compliance will become the norm.
Keeping health privacy, Newsobserver.com, December 3, 2004
