Health Information Management

Authorization for disclosure of PHI

HIM-HIPAA Insider, June 15, 2015

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Obtaining valid authorizations for disclosure is a significant area of risk for many organizations. Often, staff members handling disclosures don't understand the requirements, especially regarding when authorizations are needed and who can legally sign them. This chapter takes a comprehensive look at authorizations, including required elements, when they're needed, when they're not needed, who can sign them, and the need to screen outside authorizations.
 
An authorization is written permission from individuals or their personal representatives. It allows a covered entity (CE) to release confidential information to another party identified by the individual. A valid authorization must be in writing and must contain specific data elements required by the Privacy Rule.
 
Continue reading “Authorization for disclosure of PHI" on the HCPro website. This article is adapted from The Privacy Officer’s Handbook, Second Edition by Mary D. Brandt, MBA, RHIA, CHE, CHPS, a Briefings on HIPAA editorial advisory board member. Subscribers to Briefings on HIPAA have free access to this article in the June issue.



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