The health sector is faced with a web of complex regulations due to the particular sensitivity of the information it handles.  During a recent webinar, WilmerHale partners discussed special health data regulatory considerations at state, federal and international levels and how health care companies can navigate them.  In this article, the first in a two-part series, Barry Hurewitz examines the security issues specific to life sciences and health information technology companies, and provides an overview of the applicable regulatory standards at the federal levels, with a focus on HIPAA.  The second article will feature Hurewitz and Jonathan Cedarbaum’s coverage of the regulatory landscape as it relates to business associate agreements, medical research and recent developments regarding mobile devices, as well as special considerations of health data privacy regulation at the state and international levels.  See “Steps to Take Following a Healthcare Data Breach” (Apr. 22, 2015).