HIPAA Privacy Rule and Sharing Information

Course overview

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule provides consumers with important privacy rights and protections with respect to their health information, including important controls over how their health information is used and disclosed by health plans and health care providers. This intermediate continuing education course was developed using information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office for Civil Rights to provide information about when it is appropriate under the Privacy Rule for a health care provider to share the protected health information of a patient. Specific considerations addressed are appropriate communication with the family member of a patient, friends, or others involved in the care of the patient, considerations regarding the capacity of the patient to agree or object to the sharing of their information, and when to communicate with family members, friends, or others when the patient presents a serious and imminent threat of harm to self or others. Relevant reminders about related issues, such as the right of a parent to access the protected health information of a minor child, the potential applicability of Federal alcohol and drug abuse confidentiality regulations and state laws, and the intersection of HIPAA and FERPA in a school setting are presented.