Glossary

The acronym HIPAA stands for The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA is a federal law that provides privacy and security standards to protect individuals' medical information. 

HIPAA authorization allows an authorized individual to request health care information on behalf of a loved one in case of a medical emergency. 

A HIPAA breach is the acquisition, access, use, or disclosure of protected health information in a manner not permitted by HIPAA compliance — compromising the security or privacy of such information.

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is the federal agency responsible for enforcing HIPAA regulations and investigating complaints of violations.