Each time a patient sees a physician, is admitted to a hospital, undergoes outpatient testing, fills a prescription with a pharmacist or sends a claim to a health plan, a record is made of the patient's health information. Until 1996, the confidentiality of patient health information was protected by a patchwork of state laws, which, some people argued, left gaps in the protection of patients' privacy and confidentiality. As part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"), Congress recognized the need for national standards for patient privacy. As a result of HIPAA's mandate, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued national patient privacy standards in December 2000, which generally became effective on April 14, 2003.
The privacy of patient health information has always been a high priority of Baptist Health, and Florida law has for many years included significant patient privacy protections. This section of the Baptist Health web site is intended to provide Baptist Health patients and their families with information about their privacy rights and Baptist Health's commitment to protect those rights. The information in this section of the Baptist Health web site will be updated in the event that Baptist Health's privacy practices change in the future.