Earlier this year Congress finalized the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as "HIPAA". The new regulations have caused turmoil throughout the medical industry, as doctors, hospitals, nursing home facilities and other "Covered Entities" are now subject to sanctions and monetary fines for the unauthorized disclosure of "Private Health Information". Fearing the heavy hand of the government, health care providers have clamped down on the release of medical records and other health care information to anyone other than the patient.