HIPAA and the School of Social Work
The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is a Federal Law that provides uniform rules for protecting the privacy of health information. This law affects employees and others at UMB. The law requires UMB employees and other UMB personnel to keep health information private and secure. UMB employees and other UMB personnel may not see, use or share private health information unless authorized to do so and as necessary to fulfill UMB work responsibilities.
All UMB employees, including faculty and staff, as well as students, residents, fellows, and volunteers must read the "General Introduction to HIPAA and the Privacy Regulations" to learn about safeguarding health information, including research information, in accordance with both federal and State privacy laws. You may be required to complete additional education about HIPAA and privacy, depending on your job responsibilities and the policies of your school or department.
The "General Introduction to HIPAA and Privacy Regulations" provides a summary of the new federal privacy law. This introduction does not replace targeted educational sessions that may be planned by your supervisor, department, school or the UMB Campus Privacy Official. It is not a substitute for consulting the official federal regulations and State law when necessary. It is important to note that there are harsh civil and criminal penalties for violators of HIPAA.
We are confident that the University of Maryland community can work together to assure that the privacy of health information is fully and properly safeguarded.
Additional HIPAA information and a PowerPoint version of "General Introduction to HIPAA" are available online at www.umaryland.edu/cits/.