What is HIPAA?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a U.S. regulation that sets binding requirements for how healthcare organizations, insurers, and their business associates must protect Protected Health Information (PHI). HIPAA’s Security Rule requires covered entities to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards including access controls, audit logs, encryption, and workforce training to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic PHI. Non compliance can result in significant financial penalties, and breaches must be reported to affected individuals and the Department of Health and Human Services. Organizations that work with healthcare data must treat HIPAA compliance as an ongoing operational requirement rather than a one-time audit exercise.