The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), 42 U.S.C. 1320d and the following sections, protects an individual’s private health information from release to unauthorized persons. The act’s Privacy Rule is designed to balance the interests of patient care against the patient’s right to confidentiality, and protects all “individually identifiable health information” held … Continue reading Chief’s Counsel: HIPAA and Law Enforcement Access to Medical and Mental Health-Care Records