All information contained within a patient’s medical record or as accessed via computerized systems will be maintained in a confidential manner to protect the patient’s right to confidentiality and comply with City, State and Federal Regulations including HIPAA.
Sunshine Medical Center shall honor a patient’s request to send medical information to another physician, hospital, or medical facility; to an attorney; to an insurance company; and to the patient
Protected Health Information may only be accessed/released (disclosed) as follows:
- to healthcare professionals directly involved in the care of the patient;
- for the protection of public health as provided by law;
- for the payment of services as authorized by the patient;
- to legally authorized individuals as legally authorized by the patient or for any other purposes authorized/or required by law;
Protected health information may be disclosed with the authorization of the patient if:
- The authorization is in writing, is dated, and is signed or otherwise authenticated;
- The authorization specifies the information to be disclosed;
- The authorization specifies the entity or location to disclose the information; and
- The authorization specifies the person or persons to receive the information.
PROCEDURES:
The following procedures apply to the release of information process:
Patients or designated individuals requesting access to their medical information shall complete an Authorization to Release Medical Information form. Attorneys requesting access to medical records is required to have the patient complete the appropriate approved Release of Protected Health Information form.
The signature on the authorization must be that of the patient or legal representative (e.g. executor/executrix) if the patient is deceased, or of the legal guardian if the patient is a minor or has been declared incompetent. The Authorization to Release Medical Information form and the medical record should be reviewed to assure that the signature of a person matches the documentation in the medical record.
The date on the authorization must be no more than one year old.
In an emergency situation, a healthcare provider can read or fax medical information to a physician, hospital, or medical facility upon receipt of the required authorization or a statement on the letterhead of the organization indicating that the patient is unable to sign.
Medical information may be released and/or shared with another healthcare provider / healthcare organization without a signed authorization if the healthcare providers have a patient in common or for continuity of care. Examples of this include; a physician who refers a patient for a specialty consults. The consult would be expected to share a report of their findings with the referring physician. Another example includes providing information to a homecare agency when referring a patient to a homecare agency.
POLICY ISSUED: July 2011
Call us now for more information (941) 918-2011 or email us at info@sunshinedoctors.com