Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 6.6
Judge Robert Bork, a nominee to the US Supreme Court, had to endure the
publication of his video rental records by the
Washington City Paper
.
(AP photo/Charles
Tasnadi)
consent of the customer. In addition, organizations must destroy personally identifiable
information about rentals within a year of the date when this information is no longer
needed for the purpose for which it was collected.
As part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Congress
directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to come up with guide-
lines for protecting the privacy of patients. These guidelines went into effect in April
2003. They limit how doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and insurance companies can use
medical information collected from patients.
The regulations attempt to limit the exchange of information among health care
providers to that information necessary to care for the patient. They forbid health care
providers from releasing information to life insurance companies, banks, or other busi-
nesses without specific signed authorization from the person being treated. Health care
providers must provide their patients with a notice describing how they use the infor-
mation they gather. Patients have the right to see their medical records and to request
corrections to errors they find in those records [82].
The Freedom of Information Act is a law designed to ensure that the public has access to
US government records. Signed into law by President Johnson in 1966, it applies only to
