In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information without a signed consent form from our office. Not all of these situations will apply to us; most will never come up at all. Such uses or disclosures are:
- When a state or federal law mandates that certain health information be reported for a specific purpose
- For public health purposes, such as contagious disease reporting, investigation or surveillance; and notices to and from the federal Food and Drug Administration regarding drugs or medical devices
- Disclosures to governmental authorities about victims of suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence
- Uses and disclosures for health oversight activities, such as for the licensing of doctors; for audits by Medicare or Medicaid; or for investigation of possible violations of health care laws
- Disclosures for judicial and administrative proceedings, such as in response to subpoenas or orders of courts or administrative agencies
- Disclosures for law enforcement purposes, such as to provide information about someone who is or is suspected to be a victim of a crime; to provide information about a crime at our office; or to report a crime that happened somewhere else
- Disclosure to a medical examiner to identify a dead person or to determine the cause of death; or to funeral directors to aid in burial; or to organizations that handle organ or tissue donations
- Uses and disclosures to prevent a serious threat to health or safety
- Uses or disclosure for specialized government functions, such as for the protection of the president or high ranking government officials; for lawful national intelligence activities; for military purposes; or for the evaluation and health of members of the foreign service
- Disclosures of de-identified information
- Disclosures relating to worker's compensation programs
- Disclosures of a “limited data set” for research, public health, or health care operations
What's in a name?
