The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) co-hosted the 6th annual conference Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance through HIPAA Security on May 21 & 22, 2013 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

The conference explored the current health information technology security landscape and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. This event highlighted the present state of health information security, and practical strategies, tips and techniques for implementing the HIPAA Security Rule. The Security Rule sets federal standards to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic protected health information by requiring HIPAA covered entities and their business associates to implement and maintain administrative, physical and technical safeguards.

The conference offered sessions exploring security management and technical assurance of electronic health information.  Presentations covered a variety of current topics including updates on the Omnibus HIPAA/HITECH Final Rule, identity management, strengthening cybersecurity in the health care sector, integrating security safeguards into health IT, managing insider threats, securing mobile devices, and more.

Participants choose to participate on-site, or through a live webcast. Lunch and refreshments were included in the on-site registration fee. All registrations included access to archived webcast presentations and materials.

Webcast and #HIPAASecurity Twitter Chat

The event was webcast live May 21-22, 2013. The live webcast will be archived and available online for playback approximately one week following the event.

Join the conversation on Twitter! Tweet your comments and questions using the event hashtag #HIPAASecurity.