The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more commonly known by its acronym OSHA, was established by Congress in 1971 following the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; obligating enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; assisting and encouraging states in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that requires the implementation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule to implement HIPAA requirements. Additionally, a portion of the data covered by the Privacy Rules is safe under the HIPAA Security Rule.

The Privacy Rule’s rules govern how entities subject to the Privacy Rule use and disclose personal health information (also known as “protected health information”). “Covered entities” refers to these individuals and businesses. Individuals’ rights to understand and regulate how their health information is used are similarly protected under the Privacy Rule. The Privacy Rule’s primary purpose is to ensure that people’s health information is fully protected while maintaining the flow of health information needed to provide for and encourage high-quality health care and protect the public’s health and well-being. The Privacy Rule establishes a delicate balance between permitting necessary access to data and maintaining the privacy of persons receiving care.

HIPAA is incredibly important for improving the privacy of healthcare details. Apart from these, the major implications of HIPAA are as follows: It increases personal privacy in terms of the healthcare information of the patients. It prevents discrimination. It secures the process of sharing confidential health information. It streamlines different administrative healthcare functions and improves the efficiency of the whole healthcare industry. It ensures all the covered entities use the same code sets and nationally recognized identifiers. It requires the covered entities to implement multiple defenses to protect sensitive personal and health information. It mandates the use of strong passwords, and the providers should have a data backup plan. It reduces medical errors and further leads to regular auditing of the system.