The federal privacy rule in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act establishes a set of national standards for the protection of certain health information.
The privacy rule provides guidance to organizations subject to the privacy rule for the use and disclosure of certain health information — referred to as protected health information. The goal of the rule is to achieve a proper balance that protects the privacy interests of individuals seeking medical care, yet permits the use and disclosure of such protected health information for limited reasons deemed important by the law.
