Do hospitals give out personal information?

[Fox Mulder]

Say someone were to call the hospital (a non family member) and ask if a certain patient is staying there, would the hospital give out that kind of information?

Just wondering.

Thanks in advance. :hi:

[kick-ass-bob]

1. They should not. HIPAA, and all that.

I don't think anyways.

[Fox Mulder]

2. Okay.

Thanks. :)

[northzax]

3. no.

In fact, they won't even do it for a family member. I just tried to track down my Grandmother who is recovering from knee surgery in Florida, without her room number, they wouldn't connect me to her room, or even confirm if I had the right hospital.

she's fine, by the way, I got the room number from my Dad.

[Fox Mulder]

4. Oh good.

The reason I'm asking is because a school administrator is asking for the name of my grandma and what hospital she is staying at to verify my missing class excuse. I don't want the administrator to call and bug her while she's in the hospital.

[northzax]

7. with her permission

the hospital will provide documentation to your administrator verifying her admission to the hospital. But only with HER permission, not yours or anyone else's (unless someone else has medical power of attorney, that is)

[Maddy McCall]

8. She must have indicated on her HIPAA form...

when she was admitted that she didn't want any info about her staying there released.

[northzax]

9. the default is 'no'

you have to actively ask for information to be released about you.

[Maddy McCall]

13. I just had surgery a year and a half ago...

I was asked by the woman who did my admittance paper work about five or ten different questions dealing with privacy. One of them was "Do you want the hospital to release information about you being a patient here?"

[northzax]

16. right, you have to consent to the release

if you don't answer "yes", then the Hospital defaults to 'no'

[Maddy McCall]

18. Of course.

They certainly wouldn't default to break the law.

[Maddy McCall]

5. If the patient, when being admitted, said on the HIPAA form that...

they don't mind their info being released, then, yes, you can call and ask if that person's there.

I'd call the hospital operator and just ask, "May I have Mr. Joe Jones' room, please?"

[Midlodemocrat]

6. No. And if they do, they are in big, big trouble

with the HIPAA, which absolutely protects your privacy.

When my dad was in the hospital last year before he passed, they gave me a code that I had to give when I would call to check on him. AFter a while, (he was there seven weeks), I got to know the nurses and they me, so it wasn't an issue.

[Maddy McCall]

10. Again, if the patient gives permission to allow release of the room...

number, then the hospital can give it to people who call and ask. All of that is settled at admission time.

I think it's a great law, and I would opt NOT to release info about myself.

[Midlodemocrat]

11. Right. But, I don't remember them asking us that when he was

admitted.

They gave me the number to pass on to other family members who wanted to call and I don't recall them asking him to forgo it.

Might depend on the hospital. This was an HCA entity, you know of the HCA Frists.

How ya doin' Maddy?

[Maddy McCall]

14. Hey!

I'm doing fine. How are you? :hi:

[Midlodemocrat]

15. Good.

How is that little girl doing? Hopefully better?

[Maddy McCall]

17. People have begun receiving thank-you notes from her and her...

grandmother... I was so glad to get those PMs today and last night. Glad to hear that she's writing thank-yous. :-)

[Midlodemocrat]

19. Bless her heart. To have gone through all that and

still be concerned about thanking people. Hope they are able to get their lives back soon.

[kick-ass-bob]

12. the only way info is released without patient consent is to Public Health

agencies. (and they are sworn to confidentiality)