--- title: "HIPAA Guidelines" description: "ADA offers programming and support to audiologists and students who are or who desire to be autonomous practitioners in the field of Audiology." url: "https://audiologist.org/audiologists/regulations/hipaa-guidelines" date: "2026-06-15T10:26:46+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- # HIPAA Guidelines The content you’re trying to view is part of our members-only resources, developed exclusively for professionals working within the audiology community. These materials are designed to support audiologists and hearing care professionals through curated industry updates, practice management tools, educational resources, and peer insights. Whether you’re seeking continuing education opportunities, policy updates, or practical guidance for your clinic, our members-only content is built to deliver meaningful value and help you stay informed in a rapidly evolving field. 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[ Login ](https://audiologist.org/login) [ Benefits of Membership ](https://audiologist.org/about/membership/benefits-of-membership) The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) is dedicated to the advancement of practitioner excellence, high ethical standards, professional autonomy and sound business practices in the provision of quality audiologic care. ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://audiologist.org" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "HIPAA Guidelines", "item": "https://audiologist.org/audiologists/regulations/hipaa-guidelines" } ] } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://audiologist.org/audiologists/regulations/hipaa-guidelines#organization3", "name": "Academy of Doctors of Audiology", "alternateName": "Agentis", "legalName": "Agentis Management", "email": "info@audiologist.org", "url": "https://audiologist.org", "telephone": "(859) 977-7454", "foundingDate": "1977-01-01", "logo": "https://audiologist.org//images/favicon.png", "image": "https://audiologist.org//images/favicon.png", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 205, Frankfort, Kentucky", "postalCode": "40601" } } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://audiologist.org/audiologists/regulations/hipaa-guidelines" }, "headline": "HIPAA Guidelines", "description": "HIPAA Guidelines Overview HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was signed into law in 1996. Its primary purpose is to provide continuous insurance coverage for workers who change jobs so that health insurance is "portable" from one employer to the next. Are you a Covered Entity? Click here to find out. PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION The following 18 items have been identified as Protected Health Information. Click here to learn more about HIPAA guidelines. Names All geographic subdivisions smaller than a State, including street address, city, county, precinct, zip code, and their equivalent geocodes All elements of dates (except year) for dates directly related to an individual, including birth date, admission date, discharge date, date of death Telephone numbers Fax numbers Electronic mail addresses Social security numbers Medical record numbers Health plan beneficiary numbers Account numbers Certificate/license numbers Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers Device identifiers and serial numbers Web Universal Resource Locators (URLs) Internet Protocol (IP) address numbers Biometric identifiers, including finger and voice prints Full face photographic images and any comparable images Any unique identifying number, characteristic, or code. HIPAA Basics Effective April 14, 2003 Transactions and Code SetsThis Rule creates standards involving the electronic transmission of health information and data and the codes that must be utilized to report healthcare services and goods to health plans, clearinghouses and providers. Learn more about HIPAA Transactions and Code Sets. PrivacyThis Rule creates national standards to protect individuals' personal health information and gives patients increased access to and control over their medical records. It also defines how their information can be used for marketing and research purposes. Learn more about HIPAA Privacy. MarketingThe HIPAA Privacy Rule gives individuals important controls over whether and how their protected health information is used and disclosed for marketing purposes. With limited exceptions, the Rule requires an individual’s written authorization before a use or disclosure of his or her protected health information can be made for marketing. Learn more about HIPAA Marketing guidelines. Employer IdentifierThis Rule mandates that the Employer Identification Number (EIN) provided to employers by the Internal Revenue Service be utilized as the Employer Identifier when electronically submitting claims to insurers. Learn more about Employer Identification. Provider IdentifierThis Rule, which goes into effect on May 27, 2007, mandates the use of the National Provider Identifier when submitting claims to all insurers, including, but not limited to, Medicare and Medicaid. Every provider and facility needs its own, unique identifier. Learn more about the Provider Identifier. Audiologists can also apply for a National Provider Identifier (NPI) or see a NPI Registry; Learn more here. SECURITY Effective April 20, 2005 This Rule creates standards to protect the confidentiality and integrity of electronically maintained and submitted identifiable health information. Learn more the specifics of the Security Rule. HITECH Effective February 17, 2010 The Administrative Simplification rules were established to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's health care system by encouraging the widespread use of electronic data interchange in health care, resulting in reduced costs. The rules also protect and secure an individual’s identifiable personal and health related information. Following the requirements of the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act, the United States Department of Health and Human Services established national standards in three areas: Privacy, Security and Electronic Data Interchange. In late 2008, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) provided additional guidance on the Electronic Exchange of Protected Health Information and HIPAA. View the HIPAA Privacy Rule and Health Information Technology (HIT). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) added provisions, known as Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. These provisions affect security and breach notification, specifically as it pertains to Business Associates, the use and disclosure of protected health information for marketing and fundraising purposes, the sale of protected health information and electronic medical records. It is important to familiarize yourselves with HITECH and make the appropriate modifications to the office Privacy, Security and Business Associate policies and documents to reflect these changes. HITECH’s implementation date was February 17, 2010. Learn more about ARRA and HITECH. HIPAA OMNIBUS 2013 Effective September 23, 2013 The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced new changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) that can have a significant effect on audiology practices and the way they handle, manage and disclose a patient’s protected health information (PHI), business associates and an audiologists’ responsibilities related to their management of the PHI they are provided by your practice, and marketing. It also has strengthened enforcement and fines for non-compliance. The new rules take effect on March 26, 2013 and providers and business associates are required to comply with the applicable requirements by September 23, 2013. Learn more about new rules. Order the ADA Omnibus HIPAA Tool Kit Additional Resources: Anti-Kickback False Claims HIPAA Toolkit The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) has commissioned our legal counsel, Robert Gippin, Esq and the law firm of Roderick, Linton and Belfance LLP to create HIPAA Compliance documents and forms that can be purchased by our members. The cost of purchase is $199 for ADA members and $499 for non-members. The package includes: The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) has commissioned our legal counsel, Robert Gippin, Esq and the law firm of Roderick, Linton and Belfance LLP to create HIPAA Compliance documents and forms that can be purchased by our members. The cost of purchase is $199 for ADA members and $499 for non-members. The package includes: Notice of Privacy Practices Acknowledgement of Notice of Privacy Practices (comprehensive and truncated) Business Associate Agreement Use and Disclosure form Marketing Acknowledgement Please note: At the advice of legal counsel, this document package (with the exception of the truncated Acknowledgement of the Notice of Privacy Policies, which could be added to your patient registration or intake document and the Business Associate agreement) has been created as .pdf documents in Adobe Acrobat. As a result, the ADA staff, as part of the purchase fee, will upload your logo, name, address and privacy policy officer information into the documents at no additional charge. The document package will then be sent to you via email within five business days of your order. Any substantive changes in content to any of these forms and documents should only be made with the assistance and guidance of your own legal counsel. ADA will not customize or modify documents beyond what is outlined above and will only customize documents for use in the purchaser’s practice. Practices will still need to create the following policies on their own: HIPAA Security Policy Documentation of Training PURCHASE THE HIPAA TOOLKIT", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://audiologist.org/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Academy of Doctors of Audiology", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://audiologist.org//images/favicon.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Scarnegie", "url": "https://audiologist.org/audiologists/regulations/hipaa-guidelines" }, "datePublished": "2025-03-27T18:28:56+00:00", "dateCreated": "2025-03-27T18:28:56+00:00", "dateModified": "2025-06-12T13:38:45+00:00" } ```