HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, fundamentally transforms the management of healthcare information. It mandates that any organization that electronically handles patient data—whether storing or transmitting—must implement comprehensive measures across operations to comply with stringent standards for privacy, security, and transactions. At its core, HIPAA compels healthcare organizations to innovate and overhaul their data handling processes, ensuring the protection of personal health information and upholding the privacy rights of patients.