A review into the evolution of HIPAA in response to evolving technological environments

Abstract

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was brought in to serve as a legislation that could essentially assist in reorganizing the flow of healthcare information, prescribing how sensitive medical data stored with healthcare/insurance firms should be protected from stealing and tampering. It has served as a pioneer in the world of privacy in healthcare and set one of the earliest benchmarks for any legal instruments regarding the storing and dissemination of medical information in the form of electronic health records. The HITECH act of 2009 and the HIPAA omnibus rule of 2013 further cemented the use of standardized frameworks which can help control, reduce and track any possible breaches of confidentiality and integrity of such personal information. This paper explores the content, reasoning, and timeline of the HIPAA act and the impact it creates on the health information technology sector. It also explains the challenges that are faced in the implementation of the policy and gives a holistic perspective of the rights and responsibilities of each stakeholder involved.