An ethical case explores whether a workplace physician breached patient confidentiality by divulging an employee's medical information to the employer.

Ensuring the ethical acceptability of telemedicine requires avoiding one-size-fits-all solutions and protecting the patient-physician relationship, patient privacy, and patient-centered care.

Current policy does not give special protection to a patient's genetic information or family history, but relies on society to decide who has access to this information and when.

Arguments that mistrust about information security will deter patients from embracing telehealth care ignore patients' willingness to take on risk in the pursuit of health benefits and the role physicians will play in encouraging adoption.

When acting as a surrogate for incapacitated incarcerated patients, physicians may disclose protected health information to a patient’s legal counsel.

Physicians can approach patients’ incarceration history in ways that mitigate stigma and strengthen therapeutic alliance.

Streamlining US health care business has raised unique privacy concerns. Bills and explanations of benefits contain protected health information that could be disclosed to someone other than the patient.

Amendments to the Common Rule and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) raise questions about broad consent and sale of health data.

Instead of trying to reduce the number of people who have access to a patient's medical record by quarantining information, hospitals should explain the current meaning of confidentiality to patients as part of the informed consent process.