• Your doctor must follow strict pricacy guidelines under HIPAA.doctor visiting image by TEMISTOCLE LUCARELLI from Fotolia.com
  
  Various aspects of the health care industry are regulated according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The federal government uses HIPAA to reduce healthcare fraud and create more efficiency in the health care industry overall. HIPAA, under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, directly impacts consumers by providing a number of protections to your medical information.
  
  

Regulations on Who Must Follow HIPAA

• Doctors, nurses or any other person responsible for your health care must abide by all privacy regulations pertaining to HIPAA. Furthermore, health insurance companies may not share or disclose information regarding your health, nor may federal health care programs.
  
  

Regulations on Sharing Medical Information

• Generally, when you are sick, more than one health professional may be involved with your case and have access to your records. If you do not wish that anyone but your doctor to have access to your records, you have the right to request that your information be limited. However, because health insurance companies and even nurses may need access to your records to ensure proper care, your doctor has the right to refuse this request. You may request that doctors do not share medical information with certain individuals, such as family members or friends. Additionally, HIPAA grants you the right to be contacted at an alternate phone number or address, other than your home.
  
  

Regulations on Providing Your Medical Records to You

• You have the right to request and examine your medical records. Unless your doctor determines that portions of your medical records may endanger you or others under extensive circumstances, you may review all information in your medical records. If you find a mistake in your records, HIPAA provides you the right to request an amendment to your records. Such changes must be made within 90 days. HIPAA also requires that any authorization you provide to share your medical records fully discloses where and how the information may be used, and prohibits this information from being used for sales purposes, for example.
  
  

Regulations Pertaining to HIPAA in the Workplace

• HIPAA does not extend to medical-related information in your employment file, nor does the privacy rule apply to your employer. This means that an employer is not bound by HIPAA laws with regard to medical information he or she has obtained about you and may ask you for a doctor's note for various purposes. However, health insurance companies and hospitals cannot provide your medical records to your employer without your permission.