The Standards for the Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, better known as the Privacy Act, took effect in April 2003 for large entities and a year later for small ones , were established as the first set of national standards for protecting health information. This rule was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to meet the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Privacy law was born out of the need for health information to be adequately protected while still allowing the sharing of health information to ensure quality health care and protect the health and well-being of the public. It allows for the protection of patient privacy and yet also enables vital uses of the information. The Privacy Act establishes a category of health information that a covered entity may use or disclose to others only in certain circumstances and under certain conditions. According to National Institute of Health publication number 03-5388, protected information is known as protected health information (PHI) and includes individually identifiable health information transmitted by electronic media, stored in electronic media, or transmitted or stored in any other form or medium . However, it excludes education records covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as amended, 20 USC 1232g, records described in 20 USC 1232g(a)(4)(B)(iv), and employment records held by a covered entity in its role as employer. Covered entities are organizations that are subject to privacy laws. Three types of covered entities are 1) Health Plans: These are individual or group plans that provide or pay the cost of media...... half paper...... and HIPAA, immediate access and mobile availability the Does technology jeopardize patient privacy? [Electronic version] Nursing Management, June 2007, 38-40Martin, J. (2008). Who is looking at your medical records? COPDConnection.com Retrieved November 12, 2011, from http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/30481/commentsRobertson, L. (2008). Who is looking at your medical records? [Electronic version] Saturday Evening Post, 280.3, 54-92, Consumer Health Complete.Protecting Personal Health Information in Research: Understanding the HIPAA Privacy Rule, NIH publication number 03-5388. Retrieved November 12, 2011, from http://privacyruleandresearch.nih.gov/pr_02.aspSummary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, Office of Civil Rights Privacy Rule Summary, (2003). Retrieved November 12, 2011, from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/summary/privacysummary.pdf