ABA Family Legal Guide

Health-Care Law

Patients' Rights

Confidentiality and Privacy

How does the law protect my privacy and confidentiality?

The most significant law relating to medical privacy and confidentiality is the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, also known as the privacy rule. Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and issued as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the rule gives you more control over how your personal health information is used and disclosed. The rule went into effect in 2003.