The Privacy Rule standards address the use and disclosure of individuals’ health information (known

as “protected health information”) by entities subject to the Privacy Rule.

So this means that the Privacy rules addresses the goal of protecting the confidentiality of patients and
their healthcare information, while enabling the flow of patient healthcare information when it is
needed. Also known as the “Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information”, the
HIPAA Privacy Rule regulates who can have access to Protected Health Information (PHI), the
circumstances in which it can be used, and who it can be disclosed to.

The HIPAA Privacy Rule not only applies to healthcare organizations. It applies to any entity with access
to personal information about a patient that could present a risk of harm to the patient´s finances or
reputation, or be used by the third party to frodolently obtain health care. Therefore “covered entities”
include health insurers, healthcare clearing houses, employer-sponsored health plans and third party
medical service providers to covered entities – generally known as “Business Associates”.

The Privacy Rule also creates specific standards to protect patient information.

So since, Patient privacy continues to evolve and practices must follow strict guidelines in order to
protect patient information and the practice’s reputation. In order to comply with HIPAA Law, you must
have specific policies and procedures in place to properly control, disclose and protect PHI or their
protected Health Information. HIPAA’s Privacy Rule defines specific rights for individuals regarding their
PHI and obligates covered entities and their business associates to comply with protecting their
information.

As a general rule, patients must authorize any disclosure of their Protected Health Information. This
includes all individually identifiable health information. However, HIPAA’s Privacy Rule is not designed
to interfere with the treatment of patients. Doctors, nurses, dentists, labs, specialists and other
healthcare providers can all freely discuss treatment plans and health status. They can share
information to treat us, get paid, and run routine healthcare operations.