HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was signed into law in 1996 and requires covered entities (insurance companies, health care providers, and trading partners) to be compliant. This law contains four major points of contention: 1. Electronic transactions must be made using a new and standard format when filing insurance claims. 2. Patient privacy is protected with new regulations concerning the manner patients’ sensitive health information is transmitted, manipulated, and stored. Patients are also to be informed about privacy policies in writing. 3. Security of computer systems includes protection against unauthorized access to sensitive patient health information with the use of passwords, encryption, and physical measures. 4. Patient access is assured with the ability to request amendments to the records. The law has a compliance deadline of October 16, 2002. However, because the final regulations are not yet formalized, Georgia Medical Business Services will be filing a compliance plan extension, which will move the final compliance date to October 16, 2003. By that date Georgia Medical Business Services will be in full compliance with all HIPAA regulations.