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Under new rules governing the privacy of medical records finalized by the Bush administration Friday:
– Hospitals and physicians can share private information about patients’ health with HMOs and insurance companies without patients’ permission.
– Doctors and other health-care providers must notify patients of privacy policies, and doctors would be prohibited from sharing information with patients’ employers without written approval.
– Medical information cannot be sold or given to drug companies or other marketing groups without patient permission, though it makes exceptions for “promotional gift of nominal value.”
