HIPAA Compliance

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 has numerous regulations that affect dentists, the best known being the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

The Privacy Rule requires dentists and health care providers, as well as their business associates, to develop and follow procedures that ensure the confidentiality and security of protected health information when it is transferred, received, handled, or shared. This applies to all forms of communication, including paper, oral, and electronic.

In addition to the Privacy Rule, other regulations in HIPAA that impact dentists are the Security Rule and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Breach Notification Rule.