HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, gives patients in the US rights over their health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive health information. The Privacy Rule applies to all forms of individuals' protected health information, whether electronic, written, or oral. The Security Rule is a Federal law that requires security for health information in electronic form. For details, visit http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/