The deadline for Congressional action on privacy legislation is August 21, 1999. If Congress fails to act then the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is mandated to implement its own rules governing the use and protection of patient records.
At present there is no federally mandated regulation of the privacy of medical records. Legislation offered by Senator Leahy ,(D-Vt).and Senator Kennedy (D-Mass) provide for restriction and dissemination to use of medical records. Sen. Bennett (R-Utah) would permit the Federal government to pre-empt stricter State law and would increase the availability of the records for insurance company use.
The Privacy of Medical Records
This article was edited and reviewed by FindLaw Attorney Writers | Last reviewed March 26, 2008
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