Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable
Health Information
(as published in Federal Register, August 14, 2002)
Final Rule Effective Date: October 15, 2002
HHS SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services
("HHS" or
"Department") modifies certain standards in the Rule entitled
"Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health
Information" ("Privacy Rule"). The Privacy Rule implements
the privacy requirements of the Administrative Simplification subtitle
of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
The purpose of these modifications is to maintain strong protections
for the privacy of individually identifiable health information
while clarifying certain of the Privacy Rule's provisions, addressing
the unintended negative effects of the Privacy Rule on
health care quality or access to health care, and relieving unintended
administrative burdens created by the Privacy Rule.
