Privacy Fact Sheet

Fact sheet for protecting your health information

What health information is protected from unlawful disclosure

• Information your doctors, nurses and other health care providers put in your medical record.
• Conversations between your doctors and care teams about your care and treatment.
• Information about you in your health insurer’s computer system.
• Billing information about you at your medical clinic or hospital.
• Any other information held by those who must follow HIPAA and the Privacy Rule.

Organizations not governed by HIPAA and the Privacy Rule

• Life insurers
• Employers
• Workers compensation carriers
• Schools and school districts
• State Agencies like Child Protective Services
• Law enforcement
• Government offices

You, as a patient, have the right to:

• Ask for and obtain a copy of your medical record. Fees may apply.
• Have corrections made to your medical record.
• Receive notice and give permission about how your health information may be used and/or shared.
• Obtain notice about when and why your health information was shared for certain purposes.
• File a complaint with your provider or health insurer if any of these rights are denied or your health information is compromised.
• File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services if any of these rights are denied or your health information is compromised.

Without your written approval, health providers and health insurers cannot:

• Share your health information with your employer.
• Use or share your health information for marketing, media and in-house publicity, advertising or other promotional purposes, and/or fund-raising or research purposes.
• Share private notes about your health care.

Types of security threats faced today by health care providers

• Hacker and disgruntled employee abuse.
• Untrained personnel mishandling.
• Exploitation by people not have a “need to know”.
• Unplanned power outages.
• Burglary and theft.
• Fire, flood and other natural disasters.

In the event a patient’s health information is compromised, Henry Ford will:

• Notify the patient(s) within 60 days of learning about the situation.
• Conduct a thorough investigation to determine what happened, how it happened, the number of patients affected and what patient health information was affected.
• Set up a toll-free telephone number to answer patient questions and concerns.
• Take correction action, which includes suspension and termination.
• Adhere to all federal regulations as outlined in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and Privacy Rule.