News Notes: Health Care Privacy Rules Strengthened

New rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act will limit access to medical records maintained by health care providers, health plan insurers and other health care clearing houses. Under the new rules, a patient’s written consent is required for routine disclosure or use of health information for any purpose other than treatment and payment for health care, and reasons such as research and public health. Plus, employers that sponsor health plans will be required to obtain an individual’s authorization in order to access personal health information for employment-related purposes. The rules cover all medical records and health data, whether communicated electronically, on paper or orally.