California state law and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 protect the confidentiality of communications between health professionals and their patients. At the Student Health Center, we will not discuss information about you with others without your consent except as permitted or required by law.

Parent Notice about Confidentiality

Your student will visit Student Health for a variety of health concerns, and we know that you will want information about the status of their care. If your student is 18 years of age and over, we are required by law to keep that information confidential. We will be able to share information only with the written consent of your student, or in cases of an immediate threat to harm themself or others.

Health Information Portability and Accountability Act – HIPAA

HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Starting April 15, 2003, organizations providing heath care and billing for their services at the University of California and throughout the country must abide by a federal law regarding the privacy of personal health information. The privacy regulations are a part of a greater body of law (HIPAA). This federal regulation provides the minimum safeguards for the security and privacy of health data. In some cases, California state laws regulating the use and disclosure of medical information provides more safeguards than the federal privacy rules. The University of California has been working to interpret these laws so that you are afforded the policies and procedures that protect your personal health information.

One component of the Privacy Rule is that we are required to provide you with a “Privacy Notice” that describes your rights under the Privacy Rule. When you visit a health care provider for the first time, you will be asked to sign a form that acknowledges that we have informed you about the Privacy Notice and how we might use your personal health information in our operation.

The full notice is available on the Student Health Center Web site below. You may also pick up a copy of the Notice at the Student Health Center or Counseling & Psychological Services, and it is posted at the Appointment Desk.

Each University campus has a Privacy Officer who is responsible for ensuring that all of the provisions of the Privacy Rule are implemented for each campus. For UC Merced, the Privacy Officer is Greg Spurgeon, Assistant Director for Health Services. He can be reached at gspurgeon@ucmerced.edu or (209) 228-2273.

HIPAA Privacy Notice [PDF]