New HIPAA privacy guidance on communications with a patient's family, friends, or others

The Department of Health and Human Services has released two new HIPAA privacy guides -- one for health care providers and one for consumers -- explaining when a provider may share a patient's health information with the patient's family, friends or others involved in the patient's care. The guides answer common questions about these communications and target an area of the HIPAA privacy rule that, according to the HHS, is frequently misunderstood by health care providers and patients. The guides also may be useful to group health plans and others that disclose protected health information.  (Select News, 18 Sep 2008)

• Full text of health care provider's guide to HIPAA privacy rule (HHS) (PDF)
• Full text of a patient's guide to HIPAA privacy rule (HHS) (PDF)

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