Medical Privacy Law Nets No Fines

Lax Enforcement Puts Patients' Files At Risk, Critics Say

By Rob Stein

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 5, 2006; Page A01

In the three years since Americans gained federal protection for their private medical information, the Bush administration has received thousands of complaints alleging violations but has not imposed a single civil fine and has prosecuted just two criminal cases.

Of the 19,420 grievances lodged so far, the most common allegations have been that personal medical details were wrongly revealed, information was poorly protected, more details were disclosed than necessary, proper authorization was not obtained or patients were frustrated getting their own records.