Resources for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Patriot Act Trumps HIPAA in Student Health Center

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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's student health center is telling patients that, because of the Patriot Act, if government officials ask for their medical records, they'll get to see them, and the patients will never know, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.The Patriot Act language was added to the health center's policy last summer, included in a seven-page policy the school's University Health and Counseling Services distributes to students.The new policy reads: "In accordance with the Patriot Act, we may disclose your health information to authorized federal officials who are conducting national security and intelligence activities or providing protective services to the president or other important officials. By law we cannot reveal when we have disclosed such information to the government."

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