The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) mandated regulations that establish standards to protect the privacy of each person’s individually identifiable health information.  Healthcare agencies like Hillsides must comply with these privacy standards—and the rules regarding the way hospitals and healthcare agencies may use or disclose “protected health information” or PHI—by April 14, 2003. As providers of information, Hillsides is obligated to ensure the facts that they are authorized to release are as accurate as possible. Hillsides’ first responsibility is to protect the confidentiality, health, and legal rights of each patient/client.