History

• HIPAA was adopted in 1996, and has been modified since. This new regulation was needed because of the rapid shift in medical record formats from paper to electronic, which resulted in health information becoming more accessible than ever before.
  
  

Time Frame

• Although HIPAA was enacted in 1996, the privacy standards were published on Dec. 28, 2000. The organizations responsible for patients' medical records (health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers) were expected to comply with the new standards by April 14, 2003.
  
  

Effects

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIPAA privacy standards gave patients more control over their health information, set boundaries on the use and release of health records, and allowed patients to find out and make choices about how their health information is used. HIPAA also established a system for holding organizations accountable and imposing civil and criminal penalties on violators.