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How to Comply with the Privacy Rule By David G. Jensen Staff Attorney The Privacy Rule, which is just one component part of HIPAA, has been created to give your patients more rights and control over their health information. The Privacy Rule also imposes upon providers a duty to take appropriate administrative, technical, and physical precautions to ensure that patient information is kept confidential. However, these appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are more fully spelled out in the Security Standards, which is another, separate component part of HIPAA. The deadline for complying with the Security Standards is April 21, 2005. The deadline for complying with the Privacy Rule, however, is April 14, 2003. Consequently, to comply with the Privacy Rule, marriage and family therapists who are covered entities must understand the rights that patients have under the Privacy Rule, and they must be able to address these rights in their practices. Patient Rights The Privacy Rule gives patients six rights, each of which is discussed in turn: The Right to Request Restrictions on Certain Uses and Disclosures of Their Protected Health Information; The Right to Receive Confidential Communications from Health Care Providers; The Right to Inspect Receive a Copy of Their PHI; The Right to Receive an Accounting of Disclosures of Their PHI; The Right to Amend Their PHI; and, The Right to Receive a Paper Copy of Your Notice of Privacy Practices. The Right to Request Restrictions on Certain Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information Under the Privacy Rule, your patients have the right to request restrictions on how you will use their Protected Health Information (“PHI”), which is any individually identifiable health information that is maintained by you in any form, i.e., paper or electronic. Your patients also have the right to request restrictions regarding to whom you will disclose their PHI to for treatment, payment, and health care operatio