HIPAA stands for “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.” HIPAA is a federal law created to prevent the exposure and/or disclosure of individuals' personally identifiable information (PII).
The privacy of participants—meaning their identities and any personal information, including medical and health-related information—is protected by HIPAA. Violating HIPAA law can result in severe legal consequence.
What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)?
- Name—even if it’s the first name with only the first letter of the last name
- Demographic data
- Location
- Date related data—birth date, start-course date, age, etc.
- Telephone numbers, fax numbers
- Email address
- Biometric data, including medical and lab results
- Any other information that could be used to identify an individual
Complying with HIPAA
Do not under any circumstances allow the exposure of any member, participant, or customer’s individual identity.
- If you are sending information with someone’s PII, it should be sent using secure messaging.
- All notes regarding participants should be saved in Engagement Rx, which is HIPAA compliant.
View the CDC’s HIPAA page: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) | CDC
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