Group Health follows the rules of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA is a federal law that protects the privacy of your health information. Group Health has other strict privacy rules and safeguards in place, as well.
- Before any study begins, the research team must get approval from the Group Health institutional review board (IRB). The IRB protects the rights of people who take part in research. Every member of the research team must also complete privacy training and sign a confidentiality agreement.
- Study reports can’t include participant names or other personal information.
- Research teams must keep all study files under tight security in locked file cabinets or secure computers.