What is HIPAA?

HIPAA is the United States Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. There are two sections to the Act. HIPAA Title I deals with protecting health insurance coverage for people who lose or change jobs. HIPAA Title II includes an administrative simplification section which deals with the standardization of healthcare-related information systems. This section is what most people mean when they refer to HIPAA.

HIPAA establishes standardized mechanisms for electronic data interchange ( EDI ), security, and confidentiality of all healthcare-related data. The Act mandates: standardized formats for all patient health, administrative, and financial data; unique identifiers (ID numbers) for each healthcare entity, including individuals, employers, health plans and health care providers; and security mechanisms to ensure confidentiality and data integrity for any information that identifies an individual.

HIPAA In Multnomah County

Multnomah County is a hybrid covered entity. This means that HIPAA apllies to parts of the county, but not all of it. The covered components of the county include all of the Department of Health, all of the Department of Community Human Services, all of the Department of County Management, part of the Department of Community Justice, the Information Technology Office, and the County Attorney's Office.

HIPAA uses a cadre of privacy officers to help implement its requirements. These include a Privacy Officer and a Security Officer as countywide points of contact and individual Privacy and Security Officials for the covered components. HIPAA is implemented through a combination of board policies and department procedures.