HIPAAcovered

HIPAAcovered is a term used to describe entities that are subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. HIPAA is a federal law in the United States that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information. The term "covered" in HIPAAcovered refers to the entities that are required to comply with HIPAA regulations.

Covered entities include:

1. Health Plans: These are organizations that provide or pay the cost of medical care, such as health insurance companies, HMOs, and other group health plans.

2. Health Care Clearinghouses: These are entities that process or facilitate the processing of non-standard data, such as paper claims, into standard electronic data.

3. Health Care Providers: These are individuals or organizations that provide medical or health care services, such as doctors, hospitals, and clinics.

HIPAAcovered entities are required to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI). This includes implementing policies and procedures to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of PHI. Covered entities are also required to provide notice to individuals about their rights and responsibilities regarding their PHI.

Non-covered entities are those that do not fall under the HIPAA regulations, such as life insurance companies, employers, and certain government entities. However, they may still be subject to other privacy and security laws, such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) for financial institutions.