The Bright, Light, and Blind/Blank Spots in HIPAA Research: An Ontological Analysis

We present an ontological analysis of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) research to date. The analysis highlights the research's bright spots which are heavily emphasized, the light spots which are lightly emphasized, the blind spots which have been overlooked, and the blank spots which may never be emphasized. Thus, it explicates the biases in the domain's research, the research could be realigned to correct the biases and make it stronger and consequently HIPAA more effective. We present an ontology for HIPAA, map the literature onto the ontology, and highlight its bright, light, and blank/blind spots using ontological maps of monads, dyads, and select triads within the ontology. We conclude with a critique current HIPAA research and its potential impact on HIPAA effectiveness.