Ever watched a hospital drama on TV and immediately assume that the hospital curtains surrounding each patient’s bed were a matter of common courtesy? In reality, hospital curtains may also be your health care provider’s way of following the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, which took effect in 2003 and aims in part to protect the confidentiality of patient medical information. The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) website assures health care institutions that while they should make a reasonable effort to protect a patient’s privacy, it’s not like they have to erect soundproof walls or construct separate rooms for confidential communications.

However, reasonable measures may include putting up cubicles or hospital curtains in areas where privacy can get compromised, especially at the bedside where a patient discusses his/her condition with a doctor or receives treatment. It’s certainly some interesting legislation and appears to strike a fair enough balance in theory between protecting patient privacy and saving hospitals from spending a small fortune for major renovations in the name of compliance. In any case, next time you’re watching House or Grey’s Anatomy, remember that the hospital curtains and cubicles in the background may very well serve as the inspiration for an upcoming episode of Law & Order.