HIPAAThe first federal privacy standards to protect patients’ medical records and other health information provided to insurance plans, doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers took effect in April 2003. The Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (“Privacy Rule”), developed by the Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"), set national standards for the protection of certain health information and provided patients with access to and more control over their personal health information. The Privacy Rule requires health plans, pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, and other health providers to establish policies and procedures to protect the confidentiality of protected health information about their patients. Materials regarding the HIPAA responsibilities and requirements are distributed to students during their first year of medical school at a mandatory HIPAA training session. | 
