April 2004

The State of HIPAA Privacy and Security Compliance

April 14, 2004, will mark the first anniversary of the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) final privacy rule. This long-awaited regulation represented a critical step in the development of national standards for the use and disclosure of personal health information. Many in the healthcare industry, including the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), supported its development and recognized its importance in protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of health information. But even before it took effect, the HIPAA privacy rule created concern within the healthcare industry regarding implementation and compliance. So where does the industry stand with HIPAA now one year after implementation? To find out, AHIMA conducted a survey to assess the current state of HIPAA privacy within the healthcare industry. AHIMA asked the people closest to this issue the individuals working on the planning, training, and ongoing compliance of HIPAA privacy regulations primarily in hospitals and health systems to give us their feedback.