Abstract

HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. A major part of this 1996 law is the Privacy Rule. The Privacy Rule (45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 160 and Subparts A and E of Part 164) provides the first comprehensive Federal protection for health information.1 However, the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not preempt or overrule other Federal or state laws providing greater protection of patient information. Health care professionals have always protected the confidentiality of patient information. In other words, the requirements for the protection of patient privacy under HIPAA are not going to be that difficult for most dental practices.

This course will focus on the privacy aspects of the HIPAA regulations and outline the requirements for compliance with the Privacy Rule and offer tools for assistance with compliance.