What is Hippa?

CUNY is not a HIPPA covered entity BUT

If your study involves individually identifiable protected health or mental health information (PHI), including demographic information and biological specimens identified to an individual, created or maintained by a hospital, a physician, a psychology psychotherapy or social work practice, a health insurer or health plan, HMO, community clinic social service or mental health agency--- YOU MUST GET HIPPA AUTHORIZATION for your project.

There are three ways to get HIPPA authorization:

1. You can seek each subject’s HIPPA authorization (in addition to each subject’s informed consent). You may use either CUNY’s HIPPA Research Authorization form OR the covered entity’s HIPPA form.
2. You may request a waiver or alteration of HIPPA authorization using the proper form HIPPA Waiver Application Form. An example of this situation would be: needing to use data that has already been collected (pre HIPPA) and the subjects cannot be practicably contacted. There are other instances but you must show that there is minimal risk and that the research could not be carried out any other way.
3. The covered entity provides you with a limited data set for your research. You must attach a copy of the covered entity’s data use agreement to the application.