Health care provider or provider. As used in this guide, "health care provider" or "provider" includes doctors, hospitals and other medical care providers and institutions.

HIPAA Privacy Rule. A set of legal rules written by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). These rules set national standards that give patients the right to see, copy, and amend their own health information. They also set standards protecting the privacy of health information. The HIPAA Privacy Rule does not apply to everyone who keeps health information about you. Only health care providers (such as doctors and hospitals), health plans (such as health insurers and Medicare) and health care clearinghouses (organizations that put health information into or out of an electronic format) have to follow the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Other people (such as employers) generally do not have to follow the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

HIPAA. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. This federal law directed the United States Department of Health and Human Services to write rules protecting the privacy of health information. The federal law leaves in place state laws that have privacy protections that are equal to or stronger than the federal law.

Notice of Privacy Practices. A notice that health care providers must give their patients that explains the patients’ rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Your provider must give you this notice when they first see you. They also must give you a copy of the notice when you ask for one. The notice of privacy practices must also explain how a provider can use health information and share it with others.

Personal representative. This guide uses the term “personal representative” to refer to someone who has the legal right to make health care decisions on behalf of another person.

Right to Access. The right to see and get a copy of your medical record.

Right to Amend. The right to have information added to your medical record to make it more complete or accurate. The right to amend does not mean a right to have information erased or removed.