The Impact of Federal Stimulus Efforts on the Privacy and Security of Health Information in California, California HealthCare Foundation Issue Brief

Health privacy laws govern the use and disclosure of an individual patient’s medical information. In California, health privacy involves a complex interplay between federal requirements (chiefly, regulations enacted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 [HIPAA]) and state law (especially the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act [CIMA]). HIPAA regulations set the baseline for medical information protection, with specific  California laws expanding patient protection where they provide more stringent regulation than that provided by HIPAA.