HIPAA at the UI Hospitals and Clinics

On April 14, 2003, the Privacy Rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) came into effect.

Patient privacy has always been a top priority at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the new HIPAA privacy regulations provide additional ways to guarantee that patient privacy is a top priority for all providers--hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, long term care facilities--throughout the United States.

The new rules provide a nationwide standard of privacy policies.

These policies describe what health care providers can and can not do related to a patient's protected health information, or PHI, and give patients more control over who can see their private medical information.

HIPAA requires that all patients must be given a notice of their rights. If policy changes occur, UI Hospitals and Clinics will post updates on this web site. The notice will also be distributed to the patient at registration, wherever that takes place--in a clinic, at a registration desk, upon admission after an emergency.

For more information, please contact:

Debbie Thoman

UI Hospitals and Clinics Compliance/Privacy Officer

319-384-5897

or

The Joint Office for Compliance

319-384-8282