ABSTRACT
Healthcare reform is not new. As a nation we have been experimenting with different types of care delivery models, reimbursement methods, and the design of treatments and procedures to align with best outcomes for decades. The seeds of our current national healthcare transformation were planted in the 1970s when the medical community recognized that improving healthcare across the entire population required a primary accountable source for the healthcare of individuals. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law on March 23, 2010. However, two Acts passed before PPACA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996 and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act in 2009, led to significant changes in the healthcare industry regarding patient information and electronic health records. The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects an individual's confidential health records from misuse and, after nearly 10 years, is generally understood throughout the healthcare community.
