Article on Developments in the World of HIPAA

Brian J. Cohan (Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) recently published an article entitled, “Something Wicked this Way Comes HIPAA and Her Sister HITECH” . . . HHS Compliance and Enforcement and Other Developments in the World of HIPAA, Estate Planning and Community Property Law Journal, Vol. 6 No. 2, 221-245 (2014).  Provided below is the article’s introduction:

Prior to the enactment of the Health Insurance Portability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), there were generally no accepted standards or requirements for protecting personal health care information.  The healthcare industry adopted new technologies to pay claims, determine eligibility, and provide and share general health information; thus, the potential for security breaches and risks have increased exponentially.  HIPAA and its supporting regulations are the legislature’s attempt to provide the privacy and security safeguards necessary for the efficient transmission of this confidential information.