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San Francisco Marin Medical Society Blog

HHS Unveils Final Rules Expanding, Updating HIPAA Provisions



HHS released four final rules expanding and updating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The rules implement tougher privacy and security provisions.

  • Clarify when breaches must be reported to HHS' Office for Civil Rights;
  • Establish new standards for the use of patient-identifiable information for fundraising and marketing;
  • Expand liability to "business associates" of hospitals and other "HIPAA-covered entities," such as data miners and health information technology service providers; and,
  • Raise the maximum penalty for noncompliance to $1.5 million per violation.

According to HHS, the rules stemmed in part from an executive order that directed HHS to conduct a retrospective review of existing regulations to determine ways to reduce costs and increase flexibility under HIPAA.

Click here to view the final rules

Source: California Healthline, January 18, 2013.



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