So what does HIPAA mean and where did it come from? The letters stand for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The term originated with the federal law of the same name, which created a national standard to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without a patient’s knowledge or consent.

Rita Bowen is likely one of very few people who can say she provided comment to HHS on both the original version of HIPAA and its most recent proposed changes. She joins us on Healthcare Upside Down to talk about getting HIPAA can function the way it was intended despite a world that has changed dramatically since its inception.