HIPAA Privacy Rule: Maintaining the Confidentiality of Medical Records, Part I

The first in a two-part series on HIPAA privacy rule: Maintaining the confidentiality of medical records is presented. Numerous studies and reviews conducted recently revealed that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule appeared to be falling short of its original objectives to restrict the use and disclosure of personally identifiable health information. Advancements in technology have made the electronic storage of medical records more prevalent, causing a sense of insecurity in patients because they believe their medical records to be more susceptible now to threats and privacy breaches. Physicians believed that the privacy rule was impeding patients' quality of care. Furthermore, surveys showed that health care consumers were concerned about the privacy of their medical records, especially with the implementation of electronic medical records. The purpose of this literature review was to determine the impact of the HIPAA privacy rule on protecting the confidentiality of medical records since its enactment in 2003.