The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) (P. L. 104-191) is an amendment to the Social Security Act. Its primary purpose is to place restrictions on what can be categorized as pre-existing conditions when an employee moves from one job to another. However, Title II of the Act, entitled Administrative Simplification, sets new requirements for healthcare providers, payers and clearinghouses in the areas of privacy, information security, and electronic data interchange. In accordance with these requirements, the following LSUHSC privacy policies have been enacted.