What is HIPAA?

HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Congress passed this legislation in 1996, and it largely has to do with measures and protocols to protect private and sensitive patient information. This can include general information, such as name, date of birth, and social security number, but it also entails medically related information, such as any conditions you have, treatments you’ve undergone, and so on.

The law and various regulations dictate many facets of privacy in the medical arena, and mandatory HIPAA compliance is a large piece of that.