The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a Federal Regulation that creates national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information.

• It gives patients more control over their health information.

• It sets boundaries on the use and release of health records.

• It establishes appropriate safeguards that health care providers and others must achieve to protect the privacy of health information.

• It holds violators accountable, with civil and criminal penalties that can be imposed if they violate patients' privacy rights.

• It strikes a balance when public responsibility supports disclosure of some forms of data - for example, to protect public health.

For patients it means being able to make informed choices when seeking care and reimbursement for care based on how personal health information may be used.

• It enables patients to find out how their information may be used and about certain disclosures of their information if they were made and the reason for the disclosure(s).
• It generally limits release of information to what is absolutely necessary.
• It gives patients the right to examine and obtain a copy of their own health records and request corrections.
• It allows individuals to control certain uses and disclosures of their health information.

Under HIPAA, patients will have the right to:

• Inspect and copy protected health information
• Amend (or append) their medical records
• Receive an accounting of disclosures
• Have reasonable requests for confidential communications accommodated
• File a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights or with the Hospital

A patient will receive a copy of Huntington Hospital's Notice of Privacy Practices the first time they are admitted or receive services starting on April 14, 2003.

To read and print a copy of the Huntington Hospital Notice of Privacy Practices, click the link below:
HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices 11-2006