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Understanding HIPAA

Exterior image of the cancer treatment center, taken at an angle. The sky is blue and cloudless. There is snow on the hills in the background. Patients of the CTC receive cancer treatment at this building.

Patients’ Right to Medical Privacy

 

All of us at Sky Lakes Medical Center are dedicated to delivering excellent patient-centered care and committed to providing healthcare services consistent with the very highest standards of ethics and integrity, and to protecting the privacy of our patients and their confidential medical information.

What is HIPAA?

 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was created to ensure patients’ healthcare information remain confidential. This law tells us how, when and with whom we can share patients’ healthcare information.

 

The HIPAA privacy regulations mean patients have the right to:

  • Request access to their protected health information.
  • Request an amendment or correction to their protected health information.
  • Request the restriction or limit the use of their protected health information.
  • Refuse to be contacted for fundraising activities.
  • Request to keep their name off of the patient directory.

 

All of us at Sky Lakes Medical Center are personally responsible for respecting and protecting the privacy rights of our patients. This means not sharing patient information with anyone who should not have access to that information.

 

Only those involved in the care and treatment of a patient are allowed access to that patient’s medical record.

HIPAA privacy officer

 

Although compliance with the HIPAA regulations is the responsibility of every employee and volunteer, Sky Lakes Medical Center has designated Annie Ledgerwood-Collier as our HIPAA privacy officer. She is responsible for developing, coordinating, monitoring and facilitating the hospital’s compliance with federal and state laws that affect our information privacy practices.

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