When is it OK to share information about a patient's healthcare with his family or friends? What topics are permitted and what's off limits?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a fresh set of guidelines to help healthcare providers navigate the sometimes murky waters of the HIPAA Privacy Rule in terms of disclosing patient information to friends, family members and others involved in the patient's care. The new guidance is presented in a Q-and-A format and "is intended to clarify these HIPAA requirements so that healthcare providers do not unnecessarily withhold a patient's health information from these persons," explains the department's Office of Civil Rights.
According to the guide, healthcare providers may discuss patient information with others in the following situations:
The guide points out that healthcare providers may only discuss information that is related to the patient's current condition or payment for care, not information about past medical problems. Information may be shared face to face, on the phone or in writing, and providers are allowed to exercise their professional judgment in allowing friends and family members to pick up prescriptions, X-rays or other items for the patient.
The Office of Civil Rights offers additional information on the privacy rule on its Web site. It has also issued a separate set of HIPAA guidelines geared toward patients.
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