Maybe you have been to the doctor’s office recently, and the receptionist gave you a stack of papers to fill out and sign. One of these papers should have been a HIPAA privacy form. But, did you really know what you were signing when you signed this form?

HIPAA privacy has strict regulations for patient privacy. Which when dealing with your personal information is essential.

Unfortunately, healthcare data breaches are a lot more common than you may think. Between 2009 and 2020, there were 3,705 healthcare data breaches.

Keep reading on to learn more about HIPAA privacy and how it affects you and your personal health information.

Goals for HIPAA Regulations 

Created in 1996, HIPAA stands for The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA is a federal law that protects sensitive patient health information.

HIPAA regulations help to protect patients; personal health information from getting into the wrong hands or lost in cyberspace where there could be thousands of people looking to steal your personal information.

HIPAA rules should give you peace of mind knowing that federal laws are in place to protect your personal information. Doctor’s offices, hospitals, mental health facilities (including psychiatrist offices or other mental health therapy locations), and treatment centers are all required by law to follow strict HIPAA regulations to keep your personal health information safe.

Your Health Information Is a Secret 

HIPAA allows you to keep your health information private. People you do not want to know about your health information can not find out unless you authorize them to know.

Suppose you were in the hospital, and a nosy coworker called and claimed to be a friend of yours and tried to seek personal health information about you. Of course, they cannot unless you give the hospital permission to tell this person.

If your coworker was told information about you, it would be breaking HIPAA compliance. You could choose to file legal actions against the hospital.

When Is Health Information Shared?

In most circumstances, patients’ health information can only be disclosed if the patient gives the authorization to do so. However, there are a few exceptions.

One way is with the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The HIPAA Privacy Rule allows for the safe sharing of a patient’s health information between healthcare providers.

Only healthcare providers who have direct patient care can access someone’s health records. If a patient goes to the emergency room and someone you know is a nurse in the operating room, they cannot look up any of your information.

However, the ER nurse can share your information with the ER doctor to work together in your care. This allows for high-quality but protected care.

There are some unique circumstances where a person’s health information can be disclosed without their authorization. Some examples of these unique cases include:

• Victim of abuse or neglect
• Victim of domestic violence
• Judicial proceedings
• In rare research conditions
• Essential government functions
• Workers compensation
• Identifying a deceased person

A quick search will help you discover more unique circumstances where your personal health information could be disclosed and how your HIPAA regulations still work after death.

HIPAA Privacy, Your Health Information Protected

You do not want your personal health information to get into the wrong hands. So whether lost in cyberspace for your personal life to get hacked or something as innocent as a nosy coworker, you want your personal health information protected.

HIPAA privacy allows you to have peace of mind knowing that your personal health information is protected. As well as knowing that you have a legal right to do something if your personal information is wrongfully shared.

Did you enjoy this article? If so, be sure to check out more of our health-related articles.