Goomba38 > wrote:

>First off, it is HIPAA, not HIPPA. It doesn't affect your mom getting
>information about her own condition directly if she asks right there
>while getting cared for.
>The HIPAA laws protect patient information from being disclosed to
>others who have no right or need to know. And you'd be shocked to hear
>some of the instances I've experienced on people seeking information
>that have *no* business hearing it! Trauma-Drama, we call it, lol.
>If your mom asked for information about her own condition to a health
>care provider while you're standing right there, I might ask her if she
>wants me to tell you too or perhaps I'll just assume her bringing it up
>implies she has no problems with you hearing the answer, but signing
>some piece of paper is just a way to alert the patient to the law and
>cover the hospitals ass later should something be questioned about
>privacy. That piece of signed paper isn't required.

In my experience, staff at private hospitals will evade giving
out information to relatives, whereas hospitals set up to serve
Medicaid/Medicare/VA/Tricare will liberally tell relatives
lots of details. I suppose this is because nobody sues them.

Steve