9.6.H. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations provide significant privacy protections for the health information of patients and research subjects. As an academic medical center, Stanford University School of Medicine has implemented training for all staff to address the management of health data in research, education and clinical care. All new employees with the School of Medicine are required to complete HIPAA training within thirty days of the employment date, but, in any case, before the employee begins any work that requires handling of patient health information (PHI) or human subjects' health information. The training provides guidelines and requirements regarding handling of PHI, privacy, security, and other aspects of HIPAA. Compliance with School of Medicine policy, regarding HIPAA training and handling of confidential/private PHI is required and a condition of employment; failure to complete training, or any inappropriate handling and/or disclosure of PHI may be grounds for termination.