Confidentiality is the right of an individual to have personal, identifiable medical information kept private. Such information should be available only to the physician of record and other health care and insurance personnel as necessary. As of 2003, patient confidentiality was protected by federal statute.
The passage of federal regulations (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) was prompted by the need to ensure privacy and protection of personal records and data in an environment of electronic medical records and third-party insurance payers.
Counselors respect client rights to privacy. Counselors solicit private information
from clients only when it is beneficial to the counseling process. Counselors do not share confidential information without client consent or without sound legal or ethical
justification.*

Explanation of Limitations
At initiation and throughout the counseling process, counselors inform clients of the limitations of confidentiality and seek to identify foreseeable situations in which confidentiality must be breached.*

*From the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics 2005