Which department is responsible for enforcing HIPAA privacy regulations?

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the federal agency responsible for enforcing HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy regulations. HHS oversees the implementation of the HIPAA rules, which are designed to protect the privacy and security of individual health information. This department has a specific Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that handles investigations and complaints related to violations of HIPAA, providing guidance and enforcement to ensure compliance among healthcare providers, health plans, and other entities that handle health information.

The other organizations listed do not have primary responsibility for HIPAA enforcement. The Federal Trade Commission focuses on protecting consumers and competition, but HIPAA falls outside its remit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deals primarily with public health and disease prevention, while the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is mainly involved in biomedical and health-related research. Therefore, the enforcement of HIPAA regulations is firmly within the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Human Services.