Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
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HIPAA Privacy Rule: Disclosures for Emergency
Preparedness -
A Decision Tool
Emergency preparedness and recovery planners
are interested in the availability of information they need
to serve people in the event of an emergency. For example, planners
seek to meet the special needs of the elderly or persons with disabilities
in the event of an evacuation.
The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule protects individually identifiable
health information held by "covered entities." The information protected
is referred to as protected health information or PHI.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule permits covered entities to disclose PHI
for a variety of purposes.
This tool presents avenues of information flow that could apply
to emergency preparedness activities. The rules regarding the use
and disclosure of PHI apply to all individuals; no special rules
apply to particular populations, such as persons with disabilities.
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