What happens to state health privacy laws under HIPAA regulations?

Under HIPAA regulations, state health privacy laws can remain in force if they are "more stringent" than HIPAA. This means that if a state law provides greater protection for health information than the federal HIPAA standards, it can coexist alongside HIPAA. In practice, this allows states to implement their own privacy measures that may offer additional safeguards beyond what HIPAA requires. Therefore, stakeholders in health care settings must comply with both HIPAA and any applicable state laws that provide a higher level of privacy protection. This provision acknowledges the diversity in state laws and the importance of local governance in health information privacy while still upholding the federal standards established by HIPAA.