Burdens of HIPAA on Rural Hospitals

Funder:	Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Research center:	Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis Phone: 301.634.9300
Lead researcher:	Janet Sutton, PhD
Contact:	Michael Meit, MA, MPH, 301.634.9324, meit-michael@norc.org
Project completed:	November 2002
Topics:	Hospitals and clinics Legislation and regulation

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 contained provisions to protect the privacy and security of health information and to standardize electronic transmission of health information. This project examines the impact of the recently enacted HIPAA transactions and privacy standards on rural hospitals. Case studies of rural hospitals will be conducted to gather information on:

• Which HIPAA regulations do administrators perceive as being the most burdensome?
• How have hospitals changed their operations, policies and procedures to ensure compliance with HIPAA?
• What resources (e.g., manpower, financial) have hospitals committed to HIPAA compliance activities?

In addition to a report summarizing case study findings, policy briefs outlining key issues for rural hospitals engaged in HIPAA compliance activities will be disseminated. This study is being conducted in collaboration with the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis.

There may be publications related to this project. To find publications, you may search or browse by topic.