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| ==Study Guide==
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| ===Catalyst===
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| Most people require a certain amount of privacy. Everyone holds a certain information about themselves to be personal and to be shared with only people whom they trust. This is the major cause of medical privacy issues. Because doctors’ offices and hospitals keep records on each of their clients, the issue becomes, who has a right to access these records? The widespread use of databases and other technology to maintain this data has caused the medical privacy issue to blow up at an even greater rate. Now, not only do insurance companies and billing agencies have access to your medical records, but hackers can now access them also.
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| ====Content of Medical Records====
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| Medical Records may include your medical history, details about your lifestyle such as smoking or involvement in high-risk sports, and family medical history. In addition, your medical records contain laboratory test results, medications prescribed, and reports that indicate the results of operations and other medical procedures. Your records could also include the results of genetic testing used to predict your future health. And they might include information about your participation in research projects. Information you provide on applications for disability, life or accidental insurance with private insurers or government programs can also become part of your medical file. So, it is easy to see why people consider information about their health to be highly sensitive.
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| ====Accessibility====
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| Medical records are shared by people both in and out of the health care industry. These include:
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| :*Insurance companies
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| :*Government agencies
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| :*Medical Information Bureau(MIB)
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| :*Employers
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| :*Subpoenaed for court
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| Generally, access to your records is obtained when you agree to let others see them. In reality, some situations offer no choice but to agree to the sharing of your health information in exchange for care and to qualify for insurance. Other places where identity may or may not be disclosed are:
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| :*Health care operations, or the evaluations of hospitals or individual physicians
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| :*Public health agencies for health research
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| :*Direct marketers when you participate in informal health screenings
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| ==Bibliography==
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| [http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs8-med.htm How Private Is My Medical Information?]
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| [http://ethics.csc.ncsu.edu/privacy/medical/study.php Existing Web Page]
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