HI and healthcare: A small state takes a giant step forward

O'Reilly Radar, August 22, 2012

Hawaii enacted a new law that harmonizes its state medical privacy laws with HIPAA, the federal medical privacy law. Hawaii's legislators and governor, along with an impressive array of patient groups, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and health information technologists, agreed that having dozens of unique Hawaii medical privacy laws in addition to HIPAA was confusing, expensive, and bad for patients. HB 1957 thus eliminates the need for entities covered by HIPAA to also comply with Hawaii's complex array of medical privacy laws.