Question

What gives patients the rights over their health care information, including the right to receive a copy of their information, the right to ensure their medical records are correct, and the right to know who had access to their records?

Answer 1

Patients' rights over their health care information are protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which ensures confidentiality of patient records and sets standards for handling sensitive health information.

Step-by-step explanation:

The rights of patients over their health care information are primarily protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), enacted in 1996. HIPAA establishes a framework for the security and privacy of protected health information (PHI) and sets national standards for healthcare transactions. The Act stipulates that patients have the right to obtain a copy of their health records, the right to request amendments to their records, and the right to know who has accessed their information. This ensures that personal, financial, and medical information shared with healthcare providers remains confidential, safeguarding both patient privacy and the integrity of healthcare services.

Considering health records and patient privacy, there are critical questions, such as: Who controls a person's genetic information and what are the safeguards for its privacy? Additionally, the balance between the costs of medical treatments and diagnoses, patient quality of life, and risks to individual privacy must be addressed when creating healthcare policies. Legal considerations, such as HIPAA and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), significantly impact how healthcare providers manage sensitive information, especially in the digital age, where sharing electronic health records among providers is becoming more common.