Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cybersecurity
    • Storage

    HIPAA at 15: HITECH Tightens Health Care Data Privacy Laws

    Written by

    Brian T. Horowitz
    Published September 7, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      With 2011 marking the 15th anniversary of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, health care providers and IT companies continue to evaluate how to keep electronic health data secure.

      On Aug. 21, 1996, President Clinton signed into law a set of rules detailing who can access personal health information. Under HIPAA, health information may not be disclosed without a patient’s consent unless disclosure is necessary to administer benefits, payment or health care.

      Under HIPAA, providers must regularly disclose privacy practices to patients, and parties must also disclose information to the Department of Health and Human Services if they’re under investigation.

      “It does give patients rights to their records and the rights to know who’s seen their records, and that’s important,” John Moore, an analyst at Chilmark Research, told eWEEK. The law doesn’t tell hospitals what to do with the data, however, Moore added.

      HIPAA has also influenced the passage of the Obama administration’s 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which made penalties for data breaches more severe. Data breaches can now cost companies up to $250,000, Moore noted.

      The 2009 HITECH Act widened the scope of privacy protection under HIPAA following criticism that the privacy laws had not been rigorously enforced, according to Amit Trivedi, health care program manager for ICSA Labs, a division of Verizon. ICSA tests electronic health records (EHRs) to see if they satisfy federal mandates on meaningful use.

      Under HITECH, “business associates,” or third parties such as a billing company or cloud provider, now must follow the HIPAA privacy laws by protecting patient information and reporting data breaches, Mike Gleason, director of information services at Scottsdale Healthcare, in Scottsdale, Ariz., told eWEEK.

      “That wasn’t as clearly spelled out in the initial HIPAA law but was in HITECH provisions,” Gleason said.

      Concerns about HIPAA rules have resulted in some companies avoiding the health care IT space altogether, according to Moore.

      “You need to jump through hoops to make sure a solution is HIPAA-compliant,” Moore said. “So some companies say we’re just not going to go there, particularly now that they’ve strengthened HIPAA rules and [implemented] big penalties for those that have violated HIPAA.”

      Meanwhile, HIPAA privacy laws have led to opportunities for vendors such as Proofpoint, a software as a service (SaaS) company that provides email archiving to large enterprises.

      In an email, Proofpoint’s service can spot identifiers, such as Social Security numbers or the name of a disease, that could be in violation of HIPAA laws, Rami Habal, director of product marketing at Proofpoint, told eWEEK.

      “We spend a lot of time in R&D defining what HIPAA compliance is,” he said.

      For health care, HIPAA has served as an example for other industries to follow as far as data privacy, Habal suggested.

      “It’s sort of an important thing to recognize that HIPAA is almost at the forefront as far as best practice in ensuring privacy in business communication, and you have more and more organizations abiding by it,” he said.

      In addition, providing access to health care data in the cloud has made HIPAA compliance easier, Habal said. “You can have a more secure HIPAA compliance infrastructure in the cloud than what you get on premise,” Habal said.

      To keep data secure, Scottsdale Healthcare, in Arizona, uses Proofpoint’s email archiving service, Microsoft Vergence (formerly Sentillion) single-sign-on technology, Barracuda Web-filtering and Entrust RSA token IDs to authenticate remote access.

      In addition, the hospital system conducts annual threat assessments and tests to ensure that the network remains secure and to guard against unauthorized access, Scottsdale Healthcare’s Gleason said.

      “Security is a layer that needs to be there, it needs to be stringent, and it needs to be adhered to, but it cannot be an obstacle in providing information,” he explained.

      HIPAA laws have brought a greater awareness for health care providers that data security is important, Gleason said. The privacy laws have impacted the agenda of Scottsdale compliance committee meetings and have made hospital employees more careful as far as how they communicate with one another and have led to increased auditing of who’s viewing data records.

      “I think there’s much more awareness, not only in our employee population but also our patient population,” Gleason said. Awareness of HIPAA laws means “you can’t just kibitz with your co-worker,” he added.

      Brian T. Horowitz
      Brian T. Horowitz
      Brian T. Horowitz is a technology and health writer as well as a copy editor. Brian has worked on the tech beat since 1996 and covered health care IT and rugged mobile computing for eWEEK since 2010. He has contributed to more than 20 publications, including Computer Shopper, Fast Company, FOXNews.com, More, NYSE Magazine, Parents, ScientificAmerican.com, USA Weekend and Womansday.com, as well as other consumer and trade publications.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.