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Privacy Rights In Medical Records, Carole M. Cleaver

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The privacy interest recognized in medical records is in its infancy, as legal protections of personal information are relatively new. Major changes in medical technology, the introduction of third-party payment, government participation in medical care, and computerization of record-keeping have expanded the amount, type and accessibility of health data available about a patient. Concurrently, health records are now requested for a number of purposes, such as, legal actions, law enforcement, public health evaluation, employment, credit-rating, etc. Only limited access to these records should be permitted in order to protect the patient, yet public policy concerns also call for the disclosure …