Incapacitated or Not Present Patient
If a patient is absent or incapacitated, a health care provider can share their information with family or friends, provided it's deemed in the patient's best interest.
If an individual other than family or friends is involved, the health care provider should ensure the patient has requested their involvement in care or payment. The provider should share only the necessary details related to care or payment with that individual.
Examples
- After performing emergency surgery, a surgeon can inform the unconscious patient's spouse about their condition.
- A pharmacist might hand a prescription to a friend if the patient designates them for pickup.
- If a patient's adult son inquires about billing, the hospital can discuss charges on his mother's account.
- For prescription queries, a health care provider can share dosage details with the patient's health aide.
A nurse shouldn't disclose a patient's past medical issues unrelated to their current condition to a friend. Additionally, HIPAA doesn't mandate providers to share a patient's information when they are absent or incapacitated. Instead, they can wait for the patient's consent before disclosing.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-6. When can a health care provider share the health information of an incapacitated patient with friends or family?
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