Hard coding refers to the practice of automatically assigning procedure or diagnosis codes to medical services through the hospital’s Charge Description Master (CDM), rather than relying on manual coding by health information management (HIM) professionals. 

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that offers provisions for data privacy and security to safeguard sensitive patient medical information and prevent it from being disclosed without the patient's consent or information.