As covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), healthcare providers are intimately familiar with the strict privacy and security requirements imposed on them by HIPAA and the importance of full compliance. Measures taken over the years to ensure compliance have become ingrained in daily practice, routine to employees, so HIPAA no longer keeps providers up at night. Check. Done. Right?

Hopefully. Maybe. What else is there?

If you are an employer, you may sponsor a group health plan to benefit your employees and their dependents. Group health plans are also covered entities under HIPAA. This article provides an overview of how the HIPAA privacy and security rules apply to group health plans. The breach notification and transaction standards apply to group health plans as well, but are beyond the scope of this article.

Originally Published in the Birmingham Medical News - May 14, 2014.