U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services
ACF
Administration for Children and Families
Information Memorandum
To: Head Start and Early Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies
Subject: Information on Privacy Regulations for the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA)
This Information Memorandum is provided to advise of new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy regulations that certain health care providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses must comply with beginning April 14, 2003.
The privacy provisions of the federal law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), apply to health information created or maintained by health care providers who engage in certain electronic transactions, and to health plans and health care clearinghouses. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued the regulation, "Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information," applicable to entities covered by HIPAA. Most "covered entities" (certain health care providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses) are required to comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule on and after the compliance date of April 14, 2003.