IT is often caught in the crossfire between the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and management. Is the effort really paying off? With only one audit and eight convictions since its passage in 1996, HIPAA is a poorly-enforced law.
HIPAA: Does Anyone Care?
According to the results from the U.S. Healthcare Industry HIPAA Survey of 2006, many healthcare organizations have simply decided not to implement HIPAA requirements. The two most reported reasons for this were "no public relations or brand problems anticipated with non-compliance" and "no anticipated legal consequences for non-compliance."