Health Care Act Privacy Rules to Take Effect Despite Press Concerns

MDDC Press Association had joined nearly 40 other newspaper associations across the country in voicing concern about HIPAA during a comment period re-opened by Tommy Thompson, secretary of health and human services, after he took office.

According to the press associations, the HIPAA privacy rules prohibit the dissemination and publication of any individually-identifiable health information. This effectively censors news reports on everything from basic hospital information about patients who are victims of violent crime, traffic accidents, or natural disasters to investigative reporting concerning health-care fraud, patient abuse, or environmental hazards.

In the closing weeks of the Clinton Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published HIPAA, when Congress declined to pass the legislation after three years of discussion.

"The Department is wise to reopen its examination of the HIPAA rules and to recognize that the goal of oversight is to ensure that health and medical systems serve the patient," concluded the letter submitted to HHS by the press associations association.

Despite immediate implementation of the new rules, there are allowances for Thompson to make changes for up to a year after the act takes effect.

That time will be used to consider changes and issue guidelines to clarify the regulations, said Thompson.