Security Breach Notification and Identity Theft Detection: Putting All the Pieces Together

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) contains significant expenditures to improve health information technology and incentives to adopt electronic health record systems. In order for health care organizations to adopt these new technologies, they must address a number of privacy and security concerns over sensitive patient information in these systems. Recognizing these issues, the ARRA also includes the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), which expands the scope of the privacy and security requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). 

This Special Thursday Edition Friday Focus with moderator Lisa J. Acevedo, along with panelists M. Leeann Habte, Peter F. McLaughlin, Shirley P. Morrigan, Michael R. Overly, Jennifer L. Rathburn, and Michael Scarano, examined and explained HITECH security, security breach notification requirements under state laws, and the Red Flag Rules.