HIPAA rules in effect today

Modern Healthcare: New HIPAA Rules Go Into Effect Tuesday
While Tuesday marks the effective date of a host of new federal privacy and security rules, including extending legal liability to business associates of healthcare providers and restoring a measure of patient control over disclosure of their records, compliance won't be required until six months later. The rules, most of which are amendments to the privacy and security rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, were drafted by HHS under authorities given by health information technology provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A 563-page "omnibus" privacy and security rule was released by HHS on Jan. 17, with an effective date of March 26 (Conn, 3/25).