Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations Disclosures
- How can I distinguish between activities for treatment or health care operations versus marketing activities?
- Must a covered health care provider obtain an individual’s authorization to use or disclose protected health information to an interpreter?
- When an ambulance service delivers a patient to a hospital, is it permitted to report its treatment of the patient and patient's medical history to the hospital, without the patient's authorization?
- May a Medicaid State agency and a Medicare Advantage plan share protected health information to identify dually eligible enrollees?
- How does the HIPAA Privacy Rule apply to professional liability insurance? Specifically, how can professional liability insurers continue to arrange for and maintain medical liability insurance for health care providers covered by the Rule?
- Can a pharmacist use protected health information to fill a prescription that was telephoned in by a patient's physician without the patient's written consent if the patient is a new patient to the pharmacy?
- Is a hospital permitted to contact another hospital or health care facility, such as a nursing home, to which a patient will be transferred for continued care, without the patient's authorization?
- Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit a doctor, laboratory, or other health care provider to share patient health information for treatment purposes by fax, e-mail, or over the phone?
- May a health care provider disclose protected health information to a health plan for the plan's Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS)?
- Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule prevent health plans and providers from using debt collection agencies? Does the Privacy Rule conflict with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act?
- Does a physician need a patient's written authorization to send a copy of the patient's medical record to a specialist or other health care provider who will treat the patient?
- May mental health practitioners or other specialists provide therapy to patients in a group setting where other patients and family members are present?
- Can health care providers, such as a specialist or hospital, to whom a patient is referred for the first time, use protected health information to set up appointments or schedule surgery or other procedures without the patient's written consent?
- Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit an eye doctor to confirm a contact prescription received by a mail-order contact company?
- Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule prevent reporting to consumer credit reporting agencies or otherwise create any conflict with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)?
- Can a patient have a friend or family member pick up a prescription for her?
- Are location information services of collection agencies, which are required under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, permitted under the HIPAA Privacy Rule?
- How does the HIPAA Privacy Rule change the laws concerning consent for treatment?
- Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit a covered entity or its collection agency to communicate with parties other than the patient (e.g., spouses or guardians) regarding payment of a bill?
- Does the Privacy Rule permit health plans to disclose protected health information to pharmaceutical manufacturers for the adjudication of drug rebate contracts?