HIPAA and Your Privacy

Learn how protected heath information (PHI) is used, how to release PHI to specific individuals and how to file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights were violated.

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), was enacted in 1996 to protect the privacy and security of medical information. The Act's Privacy Rule gives you rights about your protected health information (PHI) and limits how entities such as NYSHIP can use and disclose PHI.

How PHI is Used

The NYSHIP Notice of Privacy Practices explains how your PHI may be used and disclosed, how you can obtain access to it and exercise your rights regarding this information.

Releasing PHI

You may allow us to release your PHI to an individual acting on your behalf, such as a family member or attorney, by submitting the HIPAA Authorization Form.

HIPAA Complaint

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may use the HIPAA Complaint Form to file a complaint with the Department of Civil Service's HIPAA Complaint Officer. The DCS HIPAA Complaint Officer will investigate your complaint and provide you with a written response. Your complaint should be filed within 180 days of when you first learned of the problem.