Parents Reaching Out provides resources that focus on helping families make informed decisions about the care and education of their children. Keeping your family healthy means knowing how to navigate the health care system and talk with your doctor or other providers. We hope these tip sheets will give you the information you may need to access the best, most cost-effective medical and related services to meet the needs of your family.

"Health Care Tips" are publications of Parents Reaching Out and developed under a grant from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Views expressed do not necessarily represent their policy and should not be assumed to be an endorsement by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

Parents Reaching Out

1920 B Columbia Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106

505-247-0192 · 1-800-524-5176 · www.parentsreachingout.org

Many families over the past few years have heard many professionals bring up “HIPAA”’, but what is it? Well, first of all HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act which came into effect in 1996. HIPPA put in place a privacy rule that guaranteed patients access to their medical records, gave them more control over how their private health information is used and disclosed, and provides recourse if the medical privacy policy is violated.

What does this mean if you are a parent? In most cases, provider’s offices will require your signature on a release form before they can communicate with other professionals involved in your child’s care.

Access of Medical Records: Parents should be able to see or request copies of their child’s medical records and request that mistakes be corrected. The providers should provide access to the child’s records within thirty days and can also charge for copies or sending out the records.

 

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