January 29, 2013. Today, we cover the four risk assessment factors pertaining to breach notification in the Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement, and Breach Notification Rules under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act [HITECH Act] and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act; Other Modifications to the HIPAA Rules: Final Rule that was published in the Federal Register on Friday, January 25, 2013. As discussed in yesterday’s post, these risk assessment factors are used in assessing the probability of impermissible use or disclosure compromising protected health information, thereby requiring breach notification. This “probability standard” replaces the “harm standard,” becomes effective March 26, 2013, and requires compliance…
Tag: de-identification
HIPAA ‘Protected Health Information’: What Does PHI Include?
HIPAA.com has received from its readers requests for information on topics related to HIPAA Administrative Simplification Privacy and Security Rules and to updates to those rules reflected in the HITECH Act provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed by President Obama on February 17, 2009. Of particular interest to readers is: what exactly is protected health information (PHI)? Protected Health Information To get to protected health information, you have to examine two definitions that were in Section 1171 of Part C of Subtitle F of Public Law 104-191 (August 21, 1996): Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996: Administrative Simplification. These statutory definitions are of…