The privacy rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountable Act of 1996, known as HIPAA, creates national standards to protect individuals' personal health information.

Although patient information and confidentiality has always been closely guarded by health care professionals, HIPAA's privacy rule has made everyone even more vigilant. Now staff need to obtain written consent from all patients that are part of a video or photograph, regardless of whether they are the focus of the story. Written consent is also necessary if a patient's name is in the shot (on a chart, X-ray or white boards, for example). When a patient is transferred to another facility, Family HealthCare Center cannot release the name of the facility to the media without the patient or family's consent. If the media has the person's full name correctly spelled, we can say that the person has been treated and transferred or hospitalized and transferred.

Patient Information Protecting Your Health Information Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Protecting the privacy of information about your medical conditions and health is a responsibility Family HealthCare Center has always taken very seriously. In April 2003, HIPAA — Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — put into effect new nationwide standardized privacy laws. These laws further ensure privacy by mandating how healthcare organizations may use and disclose patient information. Family HealthCare Center is fully complying with these laws.

Understanding your privacy rights

All patients are given opportunity to read Family HealthCare Center's "Notice of Privacy Practices" which explains your rights under HIPAA. New patients receive a copy of the "Notice of Privacy Practices" at their first visit to Family HealthCare Center. All patients receive this document one time and are asked to sign an acknowledgement of receipt to serve as a record that they have received it. How privacy laws affect your access to other patients' health information Privacy laws also affect the availability of information about the medical condition of another person. The "release of information" process has been reviewed and modified to comply with HIPAA requirements regarding third party access to confidential patient information. Family HealthCare Center will take any additional steps necessary to ensure a patient's information is released only to authorized parties.

Your Health Information Privacy Rights