Letter to the editor: Patients' rights and privacy
To the Editor:
HIPPA is here! The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, otherwise known as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Law, is here. Enacted in 1996, the primary purpose of HIPAA was to improve the portability and continuity of health insurance for workers who lose or change jobs. One of the "ride-on" provisions of that law calls for "administrative simplification." A part of that provision deals with the privacy of protected health information.
The federal government has now issued regulations designed to protect the privacy of people seeking medical treatment. Hillsboro Community Medical Center is committed to preserving patient privacy and to following the regulations. Accordingly, HCMC cannot, under the regulations, post names of patients on the hospital directory located on the wall outside of the business office and cannot provide news media with patient names for publication.
To obtain information on a patient, the person wanting the information must contact us and provide the patient's name. If the patient has agreed, the person will then be provided the patient room number and a general statement of the patient's condition.
We value the relationship we have with the media and are sensitive to your needs for information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Michael J. Ryan
Administrator and CEO
HCMC
