What is the main purpose of HIPAA?

The primary purpose of HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is to protect patient privacy and secure health information. Established in 1996, HIPAA was developed to create national standards for the protection of sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge. This means that healthcare providers, health plans, and other entities that handle health information must implement safeguards to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of that information.

While improving patient outcomes and ensuring equal treatment in healthcare are vital goals within the healthcare system, they are not the core focus of HIPAA. Similarly, streamlining healthcare billing processes is an important aspect of healthcare administration but is secondary to the main aims of HIPAA's privacy and security regulations.

Therefore, understanding HIPAA primarily revolves around its role in safeguarding personal health information, making the emphasis on patient privacy and security its defining characteristic. This foundational purpose influences how healthcare organizations handle patient data, ultimately promoting trust in the healthcare system.