Employers who ignore or are only partially compliant with healthcare privacy issues could face greater government scrutiny and fines, says Philadelphia attorney Christopher Ezold. This new focus on compliance applies to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. HIPAA requires that a “covered entity” maintain the privacy of personal health information (PHI). Covered entities can include healthcare providers, health plans and health clearing houses and their business associates. HIPAA does not apply to all employer-provided health