Extract from Omar Haroun’s article “Understanding Recent Changes to Protected Health Information Governance and How Artificial Intelligence Can Help”
Regulations surrounding healthcare data privacy are constantly changing. Due to the invention of new technology, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other privacy complications, it’s more important than ever that companies handling protected health information (PHI) do their due diligence and ensure they comply with ever-changing regulations.
When it comes to PHI and data privacy, the most referenced compliance regulation is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Though HIPAA was enacted 25 years ago, it has evolved and expanded to address advancements in technology and the way data is collected and stored.
Recently, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sector in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued new HIPAA guidelines aimed at addressing necessary public health disclosures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, discussions surrounding privacy exposure related to data collected via wearable technology and utilized by private companies have resulted in a Senate bill proposal.
