The United States legal system has a significant impact on the
healthcare information management system. A number of laws have
been introduced for the purpose of safeguarding patient health
information. One of the most important laws that have been
introduced is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) of 1996. According to the specific federal law, it is
imperative to create national standards for protecting sensitive
patient health information from being disclosed to any unauthorized
party without the consent or knowledge of the patient (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). As per HIPAA’s Breach
Notification Rule, the covered entities need to notify the patients in
case their unsecured protected health information (PHI) is used
without their permission (Hipaa Breach Notification Rule. American
Medical Association, 2021). The HIPAA Act has been identified as the
chief federal law relating to patient health information. Similarly, the
Privacy Rule empowers the patients since they have the right with
respect to their sensitive health information. This rule also sets the
limit on how the health information of patients can be used and
shared with others. The Security rule also plays an instrumental role
in the context of patient health information. As per the security rule,
certain rules have been introduced that need to be followed by health
care facilities to ensure that PHI is kept secure and suitable
administrative, physical and technical safeguards are in place.
The laws that are in place are necessary sine they empower patients
to have a better degree of control over their sensitive and
confidential health and medical information. Additionally, these laws
even provide guidance to healthcare organizations, hospitals, and
other entities operating in the healthcare domain to responsibly and
cautiously handle patient data so they cannot be accessed by any
unauthorized parties. These laws offer additional security to patients
from unauthorized parties such as cybercriminals or online hackers.
Thus, the United States legal system plays an instrumental role in
protecting patient health information in a systematic and secure way.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, September 14).
Health Insurance Portability and accountability act of 1996 (HIPAA).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 4, 2022,
from
https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html#:~:text=Th
e%20Health%20Insurance%20Portability%20and,the%20patient's%2
0consent%20or%20knowledge
Hipaa Breach Notification Rule. American Medical Association. (2021).
Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-
management/hipaa/hipaa-breach-notification-rule
