INTERIM. How 1 State Protects Health Care Data. 3 Key Points.

In 2015, ​New Jersey expanded its data breach laws to apply to include these health care information holders that service New Jersey patients:

•  health insurance companies
• health service corporations
• hospital service corporations
• medical service corporations
• health maintenance organizations 

New Jersey also adopted new encryption standards that:

• Encrypt confidential patient information or secure personal information
• Utilize any method of technology rendering the information unreadable, undecipherable, or otherwise unusable by an unauthorized person

What personal information must be protected by encryption?

A first name, or first initial and last name linked with at least one of the following:

(1) Social Security number

(2) driver’s license number or other state identification card number

(3) address, or

(4) identifiable health information

New Jersey law Examiner | Consumer protection for healthcare data breaches in New Jersey