Find
out your rights.
According to some health privacy laws, once you have gone to a care provider
for treatment, you have essentially given consent for your health information
to be used and shared with other healthcare professionals. But this may
not be in keeping with your wishes.
Health privacy laws vary by region. In the United States, a good resource
is the Patient
Privacy Rights web site. You may also wish to visit the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Information Privacy web page. In Canada, a good place to start is the Office of the Privacy
Commissioner of Canada web site, which provides contact information and
links to provincial / territorial privacy oversight offices. In other
countries, look online for your government’s information privacy web
site.
2.
Speak with your healthcare provider.
The next time you are visiting your doctor or local healthcare facility, ask
how they protect your health information privacy - and advise the privacy officer
of any information you would like to keep private.
3.
Demand choice!
Nationwide electronic health records are being developed, and new funding is
being injected into health information technology. As this happens, new laws
(e.g. the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) address health information
privacy. Some of these laws allow you to choose who has access to your electronic
health information and what information is disclosed. If you want a say in
the matter, contact your local government representative to have your voice
heard.
