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Medical privacy laws protect a patient’s right to keep their medical information confidential. HIPAA establishes laws in the US to protect patient privacy, limiting who can access medical information. However, there are some limitations, such as sharing information with insurance companies for treatment approval. HIPAA also mandates safeguards for electronic archiving of patient records.
Medical privacy refers to a patient’s right to keep their medical information confidential. Medical privacy laws and regulations place limits on exactly who medical information can be shared. Privacy in the medical field is also protected by doctor/patient confidentiality, which is a legally recognized privilege.
There are a number of reasons why medical privacy is important. Patients may fear discrimination from family, friends, or employers based on certain illnesses or diseases. People may also want to keep certain medical information secret for a variety of reasons, such as a need to avoid embarrassment or a desire not to have to talk about an illness with friends.
Medical privacy laws ensure that the patient is able to determine with whom to share their medical information and when. In the United States, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) establishes laws designed to protect patient privacy. There are a number of regulations and safeguards in place, some of which relate to electronic record keeping and some to other types of disclosures.
Under HIPAA, a physician may not disclose information about a patient’s condition to anyone except the patient without the patient’s consent. This means that a doctor also cannot reveal information to a spouse or parent or to the police in the event of a crime. The patient will need to allow the doctor to share the information or the court, in the case of the police, will need to issue a subpoena if there are extenuating circumstances.
There are some limitations on medical privacy. For example, a doctor may share information with an insurance company if they need to do so to get treatment approved. Typically, this also requires the patient’s consent, although the patient may simply consent to general sharing of information and may not need to consent on each specific instance. Some limited information may also be shared with collection agencies if a patient has unpaid medical bills, but this information is usually limited to the cost of treatments performed and cannot provide specific details about the medical services provided.
HIPAA also mandates safeguards for electronic archiving of patient records to ensure privacy. For example, HIPAA establishes rules that enforce limited access to electronic records. HIPAA also has policies in place for violating privacy rules and reporting requirements when an unauthorized party accesses medical records or data.
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