HIPAA - helps in times of disaster  

The shocking natural disasters that occurred in our nation's gulf coast in late August left an estimated one million people or more without homes, personal possessions, jobs, access to their healthcare providers and facilities, and an estimated ten thousand or more lost their lives.  We heard so many accusations of governmental ineptitude and saw more finger-pointing than during an election; but our government enacted the HIPAA legislation in late 1996 and provided for a catastrophe like this with provisions to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of patient's protected health information.

The privacy of patient's health information has always been a principle of the medical profession. HIPAA made it clear that the privacy and security of patients' protected health information was a serious issue that would not be compromised, under penalty of law. ...