HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 - Primary federal law governing medical privacy, including Privacy Rule, Security Rule, and requirements for Protected Health Information (PHI) handling and valid authorization forms

State-Specific Medical Privacy Laws: Individual state laws that may provide additional privacy protections, specific requirements for medical record release, and varying retention periods and access rights

21st Century Cures Act: Federal law addressing information blocking and electronic health information access requirements, ensuring patients have appropriate access to their medical records

42 CFR Part 2: Federal regulations providing special protections for substance abuse treatment records, including additional consent requirements for releasing such information

HITECH Act: Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act - Addresses electronic health record requirements and patient access rights to electronic health information

Required Consent Elements: Essential components of a valid medical records consent form: patient identification, healthcare provider identification, specific information to be released, purpose of disclosure, expiration date/event, right to revoke, statement of understanding, signatures and dates