HIPAAlive FAQ

Welcome to the HIPAAlive FAQ. This file has been compiled by active members of the HIPAAlive listserve to both answer regularly recurring questions and serve as a starting point for those seeking a basic understanding of the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

If you are looking for information about the listerve itself, such as the guidelines or how to change your settings, please use the menu to the right.

The FAQ has been broken down by topic into five parts. There are also links below to an index of common HIPAA acronyms, a calendar of HIPAA compliance dates, more HIPAA FAQs maintained by other organizations, and finally, some HIPAA humor gleaned from the list.

Nothing in this FAQ should be taken as legal advice.

This FAQ is reviewed quarterly for currency and accuracy by the HIPAAlive FAQ committee. If you would like to submit an addition to the FAQ, please email the question and answer to with "HIPAAlive FAQ" in the subject line of your message.