The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the national statute which oversees the protection, security, and privacy of patient information. The HIPAA Privacy regulations require health care providers and organizations to develop and follow procedures that ensure the confidentiality and security of protected health information when it is transferred, received, handled, or shared.

Medical forms and records are among the type of documents which can be signed electronically. The conditions necessary for electronic signatures under HIPAA law must take into consideration the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act (UETA) and the Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN Act)..transferred, received, handled, or shared.

Healthcare providers are required to give patients a notice which informs them how they intend to use and share their (patients) health information. A HIPAA notice of private practices also includes the patient’s health privacy rights. Many times, patients receive the notice on their initial visit to the healthcare provider or in the form of

The consequences for HIPAA privacy law noncompliance are usually based on the extent of negligence and can vary from $100 to $50, 000 per record. Violation may also be subject to criminal charges. he U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is mandated to see that HIPAA privacy rules are observed.