The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards for the protection of individuals’ medical records and other personal health information. This applies to covered entities, which are health care providers, health plans, and a health care clearinghouse, and the Rule states that there must be appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of PHI as well as setting limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures of such information without patient authorization.

This Rule was completed in 2002, and to this day patient health information is threatened mostly by unknowing exposure by medical professionals through word of mouth, social media, not fully de-identifying PHI, cloud services, as well as by many other methods. You may see an example of a celebrity’s health information being breached. No single person has complete immunity from this act but it’s best for everyone to stay on top of keeping their privacy monitored and secured as best as possible. More importantly, it’s best for medical practices/studies to have up-to-date safe guards and training in protecting patient privacy. We look to inform both patient and provider about previous cases of unlawful disclosure or accessing of medical records across a multitude of platforms. We will find out the consequences for such breaches, what providers should do if they expose health information, how providers should avoid disclosing PHI, and the steps a patient may take if their PHI has been exposed.