Hospital personnel lack guidance on reporting to law enforcement under HIPAA
HIPAA Weekly Advisor, November 1, 2004
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HIPAA may impede the reporting of suspected public health emergencies down the chain of command from the hospital to the public health department to the federal government, said Michael Allswede, director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Biosecurity Strategic Medical Intelligence initiative, during a recent terrorism symposium.
He worries that if hospital employees don't know or understand the privacy regulations, they will not share pertinent information with law enforcement agencies, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
His solution? A better set of guidelines regarding what hospital personnel can and cannot report to law enforcement. Without clarification, the risk of many deaths from widespread bioterrorist attacks increases significantly, he said.
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