How to avoid a HIPAA horror story.

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 significantly expands the financial risk of violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and extends HIPAA procedures and penalties to business associates. Hospitals, physicians, and their business associates should ensure that HIPAA privacy and security provisions are adopted. Compliance efforts should focus on high-risk areas, including information access management, access control, and impermissible disclosures of protected health information.