Should We Ask Patient Before Disclosing 'Reportable Disease'?
Read the question below and decide how you would handle it before you compare it to our expert's advice.
Answer:
The Privacy Rule also allows covered entities to disclose health information to public health authorities that are authorized by law to collect information for "public health purposes." This access is crucial to public health authorities' ability to protect the public, says HHS. The kinds of information that covered entities may disclose to such authorities include:
- Occurrences of disease or injury
- Deaths and births
- Health concerns related to food, vitamins and/or other dietary supplements, drugs, biological products, and medical devices or products
In addition to having the right to gather such information, public health authorities are allowed to take certain actions to monitor and/or fight a public health threat.
For example:
Public health authorities may need to contact patients who were diagnosed with a dangerous communicable disease to find out where they contracted it so as to prevent further outbreaks.