Can the fact that a patient has been "treated and released," or that a patient has died, be released as part of the facility directory?

Answer:

• Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit hospitals and other health care facilities to inform visitors or callers about a patient’s location in the facility and general condition?
• Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit a hospital to inform callers or visitors of a patient’s location and general condition in the emergency room, even if the patient’s information would not normally be included in the main hospital directory of admitted patients?
• Can the phone number of a patient’s room be released as part of the facility directory?