HIPAA and Beyond: An Update on Healthcare Security Regulations for Email

Overview

Judging from both the HITECH Act included in the stimulus bill and the FTC's multi-million dollar penalty against CVS, this much is clear: the U.S. federal government has gotten serious about enforcing HIPAA security regulations. At the same time, state governments are demonstrating their own fervor for data security by enacting privacy laws modeled on California SB 1386. These new laws, such as the Massachusetts Data Privacy Law taking effect on January 1, 2010, compel enterprises to protect individuals' data at rest and in motion and to disclose any security lapse, even small lapses that previously would have been overlooked.