Using Patient Portals to Achieve HIPAA Compliance and Drive Patient Satisfaction

HIPAA and HITECH (The ACTs)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) enacted in 1996 includes the requirement to protect the privacy and security of health information of individuals, defined as “protected health information” (PHI). The HIPAA regulation applies to “covered entities”, which include healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses.

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) passed by the Obama administration, includes a section called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The HITECH Act promotes adoption of “electronic health records” (EHRs) to improve efficiency and lower healthcare costs. Anticipating that the …