Do the rules of HIPAA still apply if a personm is bought into a hospital alone, and has like a heart attack and is unconscious? Do family members get to come in and access information from the doctors?
2007-09-03 16:45:59 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
he is assigned a social worker to make decisions for him until a family member can arrive to make those decisions. To answer your questions yes they then have access to his medical records only after they sign a release of information form.
2007-09-03 16:56:47 · answer #1 · answered by King Midas 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Relatives cannot obtain the PHI (Personal Healthcare Information), they can only obtain the reasonable information about the current condition of the patient without private details. For example, family members cannot get the information about past diseases of the patient.
However, as described in the manual for the insurance form (http://www.hipaavalidator.com/health_care_it_news/health_care_it_issues/NewCMSForm1500ClaimFormCompleteManual.aspx) doctors have to fill, family member can sign it if the patient is not able to do so.
Hope it helps.
2007-09-06 21:38:50 · answer #2 · answered by john.michales 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋