On January 17, 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a final ruling called the Omnibus Rule that was meant to strengthen and modernize HIPAA by incorporating provisions of the HITECH Act (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) and the GINA Act (Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008) as well as finalizing, clarifying, and providing detailed guidance on many previous aspects of HIPAA.
The final Omnibus Rule becomes effective March 26, 2013. Covered entities and Business Associates have until September 23, 2013, to comply (180 days beyond the effective date).