The Department of Health and Human ...

The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office for Civil Rights lately released documents concerning patient rights pertaining to the privacy of personal health information standards mandated at the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). "Protecting the Privacy of Patients' Health Information" is a four-page general fact sheet describing patients' rights and the responsibilities of health plans, physicians, and other secreteed entities. The fact sheet, "How to File a Health Information Privacy Complaint with the Office for Civil Rights," and downloadable complaint forms also are available. There also is a 20-page summary of the HIPAA Privacy control and frequently asked questions onward health information privacy. Also included is an interim final behavior on establishing procedural guidelines for imposing civil monetary penalties onward entities that violate standards adopted subject to HIPAA's administrative simplification provisions that was updated April 15 2003 The fact sheets and other information can be obtained online at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa.

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

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