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Every time I go to the doctor, they make me sign a privacy form, but does that really
protect my privacy? Well, it's supposed to. In fact, your medical privacy is federally
regulated under HIPAA. HIPAA? That's short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act. Part of HIPAA deals with privacy. The goal is to assure that your health information
is properly protected, while allowing the flow of information needed to provide healthcare
and to protect the public's health. What, exactly, remains private? What remains private
is your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition, the types of
health care you're receiving, and how you're paying for it. And why is privacy so important?
Privacy is important because, without some assurance that it will be protected, people
may be reluctant to provide candid and complete disclosures of sensitive information to their
physicians. And how is my health information protected? By keeping your name, address,
birth date, and Social Security number private, while allowing some health information to
flow. Why would I want my health info to flow? Well, let's say there's a flu outbreak and
you get sick. Health officials will want to track how many cases there are in an area,
but they won't need to know your name. So, my health information is safe. Yes, it's password
protected, and probably encrypted, so that only your doctors and nurses can access it.
I guess that privacy form does carry some weight.