The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, originally passed in 1996, gives the US Department of Health and Human Services the authority to enforce regulations involving the use of medical records or other health information. According to the department's website, consumers filed almost 50,000 complaints regarding health care privacy between 2003 and 2009. Patient Rights Under the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule, patients have several rights regarding their medical information. The privacy regulations apply to many kinds of health information including patient medical records, electronic health records, billing information and conversations between doctors and other health care providers, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Patients' health care providers must provide them with notification explaining how their medical records and other health information will be utilized. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, medical information cannot be released to employers, an advertising or sales company or any family member or friend that has not been designated as a personal representative for the patient. If patients consent to having their information given to another party, they must sign an authorization form that clearly explains who the information is being released to and for what reason. HIPAA regulations also give patients the right to receive one annual report from their health care provider that documents who their information was shared with. For example, health information can be released to government agencies for public health purposes without a patient's direct permission. Patients, and in some cases the court system, can appoint a patient representative to receive health care information on their behalf. Parents and legal guardians automatically have this right when dealing with minor patients. In addition, individuals that have power of attorney or are executives of a deceased patient's estate can be…
