HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
As more patient health information is collected, stored, and transmitted electronically, on a global basis, the concern for patient privacy grows. Enacting legislation to safeguard individually identifiable information against abuse has been a top priority for world governments.
The United States enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to standardize and simplify electronic healthcare transactions, and to protect the privacy and security of all individually identifiable patient information.
Your Part
HIPAA requires Covered Entities to develop policies and procedures to effectively comply with the standards set for administrative simplification, and the privacy and security of patient information.
Covered Entities are:
· Health Plans
· Healthcare Providers
· Healthcare Data Clearing Houses
Associated provisions of HIPAA include:
· Code Sets & Transactions Rule
· Privacy Rule
· Security Rule
Our Part
As a worldwide leader in clinical measurement and diagnostic solutions, Philips Healthcare is keenly aware that compliance with HIPAA regulations is a major concern for customers. We are committed to providing innovative solutions to assist in customer compliance efforts and have brought together a core team of technical, marketing, legal, and product-design representatives to coordinate our efforts.
Business Associates
Under the HIPAA rules, companies or persons who are contracted to perform certain functions on behalf of Covered Entities involving the use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI) are defined as Business Associates. Service and support activities of a medical device manufacturer, such as Philips Healthcare, may create a Business Associate relationship, and may, in some instances, require a Business Associate Agreement.
To view a sample Business Associate Agreement, 
click here.