The HIPAA Effect: Considerations for Fundraising After the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Eight years after Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), professionals working in healthcare philanthropy have discovered that HIPAA was not the end of fundraising as one knew it. Initially, when HIPAA was enacted in 2000, there was great fear and uncertainty among healthcare providers and development officers. Reactions across the nation and among healthcare organizations varied widely: some predicted the end of healthcare fundraising, whereas other more rational people viewed it as a manageable challenge.