Compliance Standards

Healthcare facilities gather and manage volumes of critical patient information that, if lost or stolen, could result in patient identity theft and delayed care. In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, prompted lawmakers to build a set of privacy laws governing the management and security of patient information.

HIPAA laws exist to maintain the integrity of all healthcare services by protecting patient privacy. As such, the consequences of  HIPAA violations can cripple a healthcare business for years. Some organizations never recover from their damaged reputation and the financial burdens associated with remediation and penalties.

Among healthcare professionals and auxiliary providers, HIPAA compliance maintains the privacy and security of patient information. And by limiting the amount of patient information that individuals and organizations access, industry enforcement agencies can better protect patient privacy. The foundation for patient data safeguarding lies in the HIPAA minimum necessary rule.

What is the HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule?

Among authorized agencies that interact with protected health information (PHI), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) moderates the frequency and scope with which patient data travels across multiple systems. The more that a patient’s personal and medical information move around, the greater the risks of lost or stolen data.