HIPAA privacy rules: it's still not too late to comply. (April 14 Deadline).

For physicians who haven't made any plans for complying with the new federal privacy regulation that goes into effect April 14, don't worry--it's not too late to start.

The regulation, part of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), requires physicians and other health care providers who submit claims or health data electronically to comply with certain rules for the protection of patient privacy The regulation deals with a variety of areas, including disclosure of patient health information for treatment and payment purposes, protection of patient records in the office, and development of written privacy policies.

Physicians first need to find out whether they're covered by the regulations, said joy Pritts of Georgetown University's Institute for Health Care Research and Policy Washington. Those who do not accept insurance may not be covered by the regulation, because only physicians who electronically transmit insurance claims [and similar types of] information are covered," she said. However, "if you have someone else [transmit electronically] on your behalf, you are covered." The U.S. Health and Human Services Department's Web site has a tool that can help physician discern their status.

The next step is to ...