How are HIPAA and HITECH related?

HITECH and HIPAA are separate and unrelated laws, but they do reinforce each other in certain ways.

• For example, HITECH stipulates that technologies and technology standards created under HITECH do not compromise HIPAA privacy and security laws.
• It also requires that any physician and hospital that attests to meaningful use must also have performed a HIPAA security risk assessment as outlined in the "Omnibus rule," or 2013 digital update to the original 1996 law.
• HITECH established data breach notification rules; HIPAA's omnibus update echoes those rules and adds details such as holding healthcare providers' business associates accountable for the same liability of data breaches as the providers themselves.