Source: https://www.veteranspress.com/hipaa-and-coronavirus
Timestamp: 2020-08-09 17:59:53
Document Index: 656983878

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', '§ 164', '§ 164', '§ 164', '§ 164', '§ 164']

HIPAA and Coronavirus: HIPAA & HITECH Act Blog by Jonathan P. Tomes - Veterans Press, Inc.
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In case you missed it, the Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) recently issued a bulletin titled HIPAA Privacy and Novel Coronavirus “to ensure that HIPAA covered entities and their business associates are aware of the ways that patient information may be shared under the HIPAA Privacy Rule in an outbreak of infectious disease or other emergency situation, and to serve as a reminder that the protections of the Privacy Rule are not set aside during an emergency.” It noted that in addition to protecting privacy, the Rule permits uses and disclosures to protect the nation’s public health. It also referenced the CDC’s information on protecting oneself from the disease at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf.
After mentioning the general authority to use and disclose protected health information (“PHI”) for treatment without patient consent (unless another law, such as 42 C.F.R. Part 2, regulating substance abuse treatment disclosures, requires consent), it discusses public health activities access in detail.
The Privacy Rule permits covered entities to disclose needed PHI without individual authorization to a public health authority, such as the CDC or a state or local health department, that is authorized by law to collect or receive such information for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. A “public health authority” is an agency or authority of the United States government, a state, a territory, a political subdivision of a state or territory, or Indian tribe that is responsible for public health matters as part of its official mandate, as well as a person or entity acting under a grant of authority from, or under a contract with, a public health agency. See 45 C.F.R. §§ 164.501 and 164.512(b)(1)(i). For example, a covered entity may disclose to the CDC protected health information on an ongoing basis as needed to report all prior and prospective cases of patients exposed to or suspected or confirmed to have Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
Public health authorities may also disclose to persons at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition if other law, such as state law, authorizes the covered entity to notify such persons as necessary to prevent or control the spread of the disease or otherwise to carry out public health interventions or investigations. See 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(b)(1)(iv).
The bulletin also reiterated that a health care provider may share PHI with a patient’s family members, relatives, friends, or other persons identified by the patient as involved in the patient’s care. A covered entity also may share information about a patient as necessary to identify, locate, and notify family members, guardians, or anyone else responsible for the patient’s care, or even the police, the press, or the public at large of the patient’s location, general condition, or death. 45 C.F.R. § 164.510(b). The covered entity should get verbal permission from individuals or otherwise be able to reasonably infer that the patient does not object, when possible; if the individual is incapacitated or not available, covered entities may share information for these purposes if, in their professional judgment, doing so is in the patient’s best interest.
For patients who are unconscious or incapacitated, a health care provider may share relevant information about the patient with family, friends, or others involved in the patient’s care or payment for care, if the health care provider determines, based on professional judgment, that doing so is in the best interests of the patient.
The bulletin noted that a covered entity may share protected health information with disaster relief organizations that, like the American Red Cross, are authorized by law or by their charters to assist in disaster relief efforts, for the purpose of coordinating the notification of family members or other persons involved in the patient’s care, of the patient’s location, general condition, or death. It is unnecessary to obtain a patient’s permission to share the information in this situation if doing so would interfere with the organization’s ability to respond to the emergency.
Disclosures to Prevent a Serious and Imminent Threat: Health care providers may share patient information with anyone as necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health and safety of a person or the public―consistent with applicable law (such as state statutes, regulations, or case law) and the provider’s standards of ethical conduct. See 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(j). Thus, providers may disclose a patient’s health information to anyone who is in a position to prevent or lesson the serious and imminent threat, including family, friends, caregivers, and law enforcement without a patient’s permission. HIPAA expressly defers to the professional judgment of health professionals in making determinations about the nature and severity of the threat to health and safety. See 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(j). In the author’s opinion, the coronavirus is such a threat.
Note that, other than stated above, disclosures to the media or others not involved in the patient’s care may not be done without the patient’s written authorization (or the written authorization of a personal representative who is a person legally authorized to make health care decisions on behalf of the patient).
As to the Minimum Necessary Rule, covered entities may rely on representations from a public health authority or other public official that the requested information is the minimum necessary for the purpose, when that reliance is reasonable under the circumstances.
The bulletin stressed that, even in an emergency situation, covered entities must continue to implement reasonable safeguards to protect patient information against intentional or unintentional impermissible uses and disclosures. Further, covered entities (and their business associates) must continue to apply the administrative, physical, and technical safeguards of the HIPAA Security Rule to electronic protected health information (“EPHI”).
To read the entire bulletin, go to https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/february-2020-hipaa-and-novel-coronavirus.pdf.
As always, thanks for reading Jon’s blog, buying his books and other HIPAA compliance tools, attending our seminars and webinars, and hiring Jon for HIPAA consulting and training. We wish you every success with your HIPAA compliance efforts. Please avoid the coronavirus with or without the HIPAA implications. We need you on the planet just the way you are to do the work that you do. Thank you.