Gallup Survey on Medical Privacy
for Release September 26

Washington, D.C.--On Tuesday, September 26, the Institute for Health Freedom will release the results of a major national survey on public attitudes toward medical privacy. This will take place at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The survey on medical privacy was conducted for the Institute by The Gallup Organization, the internationally renowned public-opinion research organization.

"We know how privacy advocates feel about medical-records confidentiality," says Sue Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom. "But we wanted to find out how the general public views the issue. That is why the Institute sponsored this national survey."

The survey addresses several important issues regarding Americans' views on medical privacy, including:

• How important is it to individuals that their medical records be kept confidential?
• Is the public aware of federal regulations that would change rules regarding who is allowed to see patients' medical records?
• Do people think professionals should be permitted to see a patient's medical records without the patient's permission? If so, which professionals?
• How does the public feel about storing medical records in computerized databases?
• Do people support federal plans to assign medical identification numbers, similar to Social Security numbers, for creating medical-record databases?
• Should researchers be permitted to study individuals' genetic information without their consent?

All are welcome to attend this informative news conference.

To register, call Ellen Paris at (202) 429-6610; fax (202) 861-1973, or e-mail rsvp@forhealthfreedom.org. Because seating is limited, we encourage registration by Monday, September 25.