Free Toolkit Helps Family Physicians Assess Security of Protected Health Information

Thanks to the efforts of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a free toolkit now is available to help physicians understand and implement requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. The security rule, which went into effect in 2005, sets national standards for protected electronic health information that is created, transmitted or maintained by a variety of entities, including physician practices and their business associates. The NIST toolkit is intended to help practices of all sizes, regardless of their level of expertise in security. However, it was created as a self-assessment tool and does not guarantee that a practice is in compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule, according to NIST.