In accordance with our commitment to patient privacy and confidentiality, UT Southwestern Medical Center follows the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
According to HIPAA, patients have rights concerning the use of individually identifiable health information. Only individuals with a legitimate need to know can access, use, or disclose patient information. Protected health information can be released to other covered health care providers without patient authorization if used for treatment, payment, health care operations, or public good purposes as permitted by state and federal laws.
Disclosures of protected health information for uses and disclosures outside treatment, payment, and health care operations require patient authorization.
While receiving care in the hospital, patients can ask for their names not to be included in the hospital directory, which means that people asking for them will be told “I have no information about this patient.” Patients who want to receive deliveries of cards and flowers will need to have their names included in the hospital directory. If the patient’s name is in the hospital directory, it will appear on a list for clergy members of the patient’s faith, unless no faith is indicated.
For a listing of other HIPAA privacy rights, please refer to the Notice of Privacy Practices (English and Spanish). Please also review UT Southwestern's commitment to protect our patients' privacy.
