HIPAA Blog

[ Tuesday, February 25, 2014 ]

 

Mental Health and HIPAA: The mental health arena has always been a tricky playing field for HIPAA and privacy, for obvious reasons.  Mental health information is particularly sensitive, but it is often imperative that the information be shared since the patient might not be able to make appropriate decisions.  This becomes painfully acute when mental health issues contribute to tragedy such as the Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech shootings.  Information not shared due to privacy concerns might have prevented the incident or lessened its impact.

HHS is trying to assist providers and others on how to bridge this gap.  They have issued guidance here, and FAQs here.  If you practice in the mental health field, this is worthwhile information.

Jeff [10:01 AM]

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