Healthcare

Contact: Craig W. Elkins; Williams Mullen (North Carolina & Virgina, USA)

On January 17, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued its long expected final omnibus rule, which makes substantial modifications to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (“HIPAA”) Privacy, Security, Enforcement and Breach Notification Rule as mandated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (the “HITECH Act”) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”).  The final rule will be officially published in the Federal Register on January 25, 2013.  The final rule will become effective on March 26, 2013, but, importantly, covered entities and business associates have until September 26, 2013 to comply with any applicable provisions of the new rules.

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