Q: May health insurance companies use blanket authorizations to disclose lists of their members' demographic information to a variety of different entities for marketing purposes?
HIPAA Weekly Advisor, March 26, 2007
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A: The privacy regulations require written authorization from the patient for marketing disclosures, such as this. According to the privacy rule, a valid authorization must contain "the name or other specific identification of the person(s), or class of persons, to whom the covered entity may make the requested disclosure."
Basically, this means that your marketing authorization must specifically list the entities (by name) to which you will disclose the information.
Editor's note: Mary Brandt, president of Bellaire, TX-based Brandt & Associates, LLC, answered this question. This is not legal advice. Consult your attorney for legal matters.
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