California Pravicy Laws On Medical Information

Information about your health and healthcare is perhaps the most sensitive and personal kind of information collected. In most states, your medical records are less protected than your credit records and your video rental records. Fortunately, California is an exception. Our state laws give us many rights to limit those who see our medical records. We also have state laws that give us the right to view our medical records and to ask to have them corrected. Starting in April 2003, new federal regulations added some further rights. Importantly, most of our doctors, HMOs, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers now have to give us a Notice of Privacy Rights. The Notice should describe the provider's practices and your rights. It should tell you how to contact the right person with a question or complaint about your health information privacy.

Your right to set limits on who gets to see your personal health information Your doctor, insurance company, andother healthcare providers have to ask for your written permission before they can release your personal health information.  This is true unless the release is for the purpose of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. In the case of sensitive information, like HIV test results or what you tell a psychiatrist, your written permission is required in most situations.