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Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act
Practical Law Glossary Item 3-501-7466 (Approx. 3 pages)
Glossary
Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act
A federal law enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111–5 (Feb. 17, 2009)) that amended the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to address privacy, security, and breach notification issues involving individuals' protected health information (PHI). Among other things, the HITECH Act:
- Requires HIPAA covered entities and their business associates to notify individuals, the government, and – in some cases – the media about unauthorized disclosures of PHI (see Practice Note, HIPAA Breach Notification Rules).
- Prohibits the sale of PHI without authorization.
- Increases the penalties for certain HIPAA violations (see Practice Note, HIPAA Enforcement: Penalties and Investigations).