{"id":563,"date":"2022-03-10T18:39:24","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T18:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellreceived.com\/blog\/?p=563"},"modified":"2025-05-30T12:00:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T12:00:50","slug":"who-needs-hipaa-compliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellreceived.com\/blog\/who-needs-hipaa-compliance\/","title":{"rendered":"Who needs HIPAA compliance?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve previously worked with data of any kind or volunteered information to a service provider, it\u2019s likely you\u2019ve come across rules and regulations outlining exactly how patient data can be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"patient<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What does HIPAA stand for?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The medical profession has always dealt with sensitive data, perhaps more than any other industry in the world. In 1996, Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)<\/strong> as a federal law. This created a national standard to keep healthcare providers from disclosing patient information without their knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These regulations outline the appropriate uses and disclosures of protected health information (PHI). They’re centered around 3 major rules<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The privacy rule<\/strong> – The HIPAA privacy rule<\/em> requires healthcare providers to put appropriate safeguards in place to protect the privacy of protected health information. It also determines when and why healthcare providers can disclose protected health information without patient authorization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The security rule<\/strong> – The security rule ensures healthcare providers meet the proper administrative, physical, and technical standards when keeping patient information secure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breach notification rule<\/strong> – The breach notification rule requires healthcare providers to establish a plan for notifying patients if their protected health information has been breached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, we answer frequently asked questions about HIPAA law<\/strong> and who needs HIPAA compliance?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Covered Entities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), three types of covered entities need to maintain HIPAA compliance: healthcare providers, clearing houses, and health plan providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health care providers include:<\/p>\n\n\n