Are health care providers restricted from consulting with other providers about a patient’s condition without the patient’s written authorization?

Answer:

No. Consulting with another health care provider about a patient is within the HIPAA Privacy Rule’s definition of “treatment” and, therefore, is permissible. In addition, a health care provider (or other covered entity) is expressly permitted to disclose protected health information about an individual to a health care provider for that provider’s treatment of the individual. See 45 CFR 164.506.

Date Created: 12/19/2002
Last Updated: 03/14/2006