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Hepatitis C Privacy Laws

Hepatitis involves a viral infection that affects the liver. The most common types of the condition are hepatitis A, B and C. Hepatitis C usually develops from contact with infected blood. Those suffering from hepatitis C infection remain protected under privacy laws governing individual health information.

  1. Personal Access to Health Records

    • If you are infected with hepatitis C, the first allowance under the protection of privacy laws is the right to see and get a report of personal health records, make corrections to it, find out how it is being used and shared and file complaints regarding the use of your information.

    Limitation of Outside Access

    • Privacy law defines and limits who can look at and receive your hepatitis C health information. Therefore, this personal information relating to the hepatitis C infections can be shared with doctors, hospitals, family, relatives and friends, unless the patient objects. A written permission form from the patient is necessary for the provider to share this information with employers for marketing or advertising purposes or share private notes about personal health care.

    Restrictions on Covered Entities

    • Law restricts information that covered entities, or health care providers, can share. The information protected includes what doctors, nurses and other health care professionals put in your medical record in respect to your hepatitis C infection and any conversations your doctor has about your care or treatment with nurses and others.

      Your health billing information is also under the protection of the privacy law, and it cannot be shared with an outside party without your written permission.

    Restrictions on Health Insurers

    • Any information about you in your health insurer's computer system, including your hepatitis C information, is also under the protection of privacy law and cannot be shared with any other unauthorized person or entity.

    Complaints of Privacy Law Violations

    • If a covered entity, an insurer or any other entity violates your privacy law rights by releasing information related to your hepatitis C condition to non-privileged parties, you can file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights.

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