The most common complaint the Privacy department receives is due to a patient “feeling” that their privacy rights have been violated
Disclosures to family, friends and others involved in an individual’s care
The most common complaint the Privacy department receives is due to a patient “feeling” that their privacy rights have been violated (i.e., they were not asked prior to the sharing of their medical information). Please remember to ask patients if it’s ok to share the information with others prior to disclosing protected health information--especially sensitive information such as AIDS/HIV or communicable diseases. When possible, try to find a private location for conversations involving sensitive health information and speak quietly.
- Remember to get the verbal permission from the individual or be able to reasonably infer that the patient does not object.
- If the individual is incapacitated or not available, you may share information for these purposes if, in your professional judgment, doing so is in the patient’s best interest.
- In either case, you may only share or discuss the information that the person involved needs to know about the patient’s care or payment for care.
- A health care provider may NOT tell your friend/family about a past medical problem that is unrelated to their current condition.
Family and friends’ authorization to allow Beaumont Health workforce access to electronic medical records
When a friend or family member requests you look at their medical record, and you are not part of their care team, the patient must complete a Family and Friends Authorization form prior to accessing the chart. This form needs to be returned to Beaumont Health’s HIM Department or scanned to Familyfriendauth@Beaumont.org.
If you have access to view Beaumont Health’s medical records, you can also:
- View your own medical record without first obtaining a signed authorization.
- View a family, friend or Beaumont Health patient’s record by first obtaining a signed authorization.
Patient right to access
Providing individuals with easy access to their health information empowers them to be more in control of decisions regarding their health and well-being. For example, individuals with access to their health information are better able to monitor chronic conditions, adhere to treatment plans, find and fix errors in their health records, track progress in wellness or disease management programs and directly contribute their information in research.
Patients and families have the right to:
- access/obtain a copy their medical record
- correct or amend their health information
- receive the Notice of Privacy Practices
- file a compliant
- know if a provider has shared their health information with people outside the organization
Let’s work together to respect patient information and improve compliance.