Government
HHS assumes HIPAA security enforcement
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 17, 2009
The Dept. of Health and Human Services announced that it is shifting enforcement authority of the HIPAA security rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to the HHS Office of Civil Rights.
Since 2003, the Office of Civil Rights has overseen enforcement of the HIPAA privacy rule, which protects the confidentiality of patients' health information. The security rule specifies administrative and technical procedures for safeguarding electronic protected health information.
"Privacy and security are naturally intertwined, because they both address protected health information," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. "Combining the enforcement authority in one agency within HHS will facilitate improvements by eliminating duplication and increasing efficiency."
The change, which took effect July 27, authorized the HHS Office of Civil Rights to impose civil penalties for HIPAA security violations, issue subpoenas related to such investigations and determine if federal standards preempt related state laws.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/08/17/gvbf0817.htm.
