CIOs' views of HIPAA Security Rule implementation--an application of Q-methodology

The purpose of this study is to uncover the attitudes held by chief information officers (CIOs) regarding the implementation of HIPAA's Security Rule. In March and April of 2004, five Chicago area CIOs were surveyed and asked to rank 26 opinion statements that presented possible implementation barriers to the Security Rule. Q-methodology, which is a powerful tool in subjective study, was employed to identify and categorize the viewpoints of CIOs toward the barriers. Two factors (opinion types) that represented two different views--socially motivated CIOs and resources-motivated CIOs--regarding the implementation barriers were extracted. The study sheds light on the attitudes and perceptions of CIOs as they begin rule implementation. Current CIOs can use this information as a way to begin to examine what the prevailing attitude may be at their institution and, therefore, how to begin building a successful implementation strategy.