This guide only discusses how to get and amend your medical records from health care providers who have to follow the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The guide mentions some related topics without discussing them in detail. Here are some resources where you can find information about these related topics.
Alcohol and Drug Treatment Records
Records related to alcohol and drug treatment may be subject to other privacy rules. You can get more information about these records at:
http://hipaa.samhsa.gov/Part2ComparisonCleared.htm
California Privacy Laws
You can find a consumer guide to health information privacy in California written by the California Office of Privacy Protection at:
http://www.privacy.ca.gov/health/yppr.htm
Medical Records in General
You can read general information on your medical record rights, the flow of medical information, and how to create a personal medical record at http://www.myphr.com/
a Website operated by the American Health Information Management Association, an association of professionals who manage medical records and information.
Medical Terms
You can find out the meaning of many medical terms and medical shorthand from the Medical Library Association’s Website at:
http://www.mlanet.org/resources/consumr_index.html
Your library might also have books or brochures that explain medical terms.
Mental Health Treatment Records
You can get information about your rights in your mental health records under the combination of the HIPAA Privacy Rule and California law from Protection and Advocacy Inc., (PAI) a nonprofit corporation designated as California’s system to protect and advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. PAI has prepared a memo on access to mental health records which is available at:
You can find general information about how mental health records, and in particular psychotherapy notes are treated under HIPAA, in the Summary of the Privacy Rule written by the Office for Civil Rights, HHS at:
