Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)

HIPAA is a federal law concerning the privacy and security of protected health information. The law includes a series of requirements, known collectively as the HIPAA Privacy Rule, that protects the privacy of an individual's personal health information.

The rule has created confusion for some ministries regarding the law’s application to prayer lists, pastoral counseling, a ministry’s professional counseling operations, and employee health information.

The following Brotherhood Mutual resources can hopefully help you by eliminating some of this confusion.

HIPAA Resources:

• Some—Not All—Ministries Subject to HIPAA Requirements
• Prayer Lists: How to Protect Privacy

General Resources:

• Records Retention for Ministries
• Document Retention Schedule  
• Applying Policies Equitably: Six Tips for Happier Employees
• Reference Response Information Form