Health care privacy: preparing for the brave new world, Part II

Are you ready to talk privacy with your patients? Physicians need to be. In the not-too-distant future, health providers will be required by federal law to describe their information-management practices to most people who seek care. In addition, new regulations require specific types of informed patient permissions--notably written "consents" and "authorizations"--before certain information may be used or disclosed. This article, the second of a four-part series on how federal privacy regulations will affect the day-to-day lives of physicians and their staffs, outlines what you need to know about notices and permissions for these "informed discussions."