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Pediatric Coding Alert

You Be the Coder:

Check State Law When Patient Requests Confidentiality

Published on Tue Jul 31, 2012

Question: How should we label a chart when an adolescent confides in the pediatrician about sex/drugs but does not want the parent to know? We have a few patients between the ages of 15 and 17 who have requested confidentiality and I know there are laws protecting them but am uncertain how we maintain the privacy of minors? Codify Subscriber Answer: The legality of confidentiality for minor patients will depend on individual state law. If you are counseling a patient on substance abuse, mental health, contraceptives, or other issues, some states require parental consent before you treat the patient. In other states, however, minors can consent to treatment for these and other problems, so as long as you are within the law, you can keep the records confidential. For instance, if the law in your state specifies that at age 16 minor patients can maintain confidentiality when discussing contraceptives, then [...]
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