For the first time, Americans soon will hold the master key to their medical files. Effective April 14, new federal rules will give patients the right not only to open up their medical records and look inside, but also to lock out unwanted viewers. But don't expect to see changes immediately. Health-care providers and anyone else who deals with medical information will have two years from the effective date to comply with the rules, which are designed to protect patient privacy and beef up security. The controversial regulations, issued by the Clinton administration, affect virtually every hospital, doctor, nurse, home health-care provider, pharmacy and insurance plan in the United States.
Patient advocates say the rules are a good first step.
These protections could be especially important in the near future, when the growing field of genetic testing could provide a virtual road map for a person's future medical problems. However, even many people who support the rules say they most likely will have a huge financial impact on the health-care industry. That's twice the amount Congress agreed to give to hospitals over the next five years to make up for previous funding cuts under the Balanced Budget Act. The rules fall under a 1996 law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which required the U.S. secretary of health and human services to set standards for medical privacy if Congress failed to pass such a law by 1999. The regulations originally were supposed to go into effect Monday, but were delayed by two months because of an administrative oversight.