Analyze the following scenarios to determine who can appropriately access health information.

Mrs. John Smith is requesting the emergency department records from last week of her daughter,

Katy. Mrs. Smith is the noncustodial parent of Katy, who lives with her dad. Should you release the

records to her? Why or why not?

rmation.

Mr. Fred Mitchell is requesting the birth record for Amy, his birth daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell

gave Amy up for adoption four years ago. Should you release the records to him? Why or why not?

Mrs. Lynn Olsen is requesting the lab results of her husband, Tim. She has a note, signed by him,

giving his permission for her to have the records. Should you release the records to her? Why or

why not?

An investigator from Homeland Security is requesting patient records as part of an ongoing

investigation. Should you release the information to the investigator? Why or why not?

Dr. Rex Harrison is requesting the medical records of Martha Flynn. He states he is a family friend

and has been asked by Mrs. Flynn's son to review her last inpatient admission for appropriateness

of care. Should you release the records to Dr. Harrison? Why or why not?

Resource

Brodnik, M. S. 2017. Access, Use, and Disclosure and Release of Health Information. Chapter 15 in

Fundamentals of Law for Health Informatics and Information Management, 3rd ed. M. S. Brodnik,

L. A. Rinehart-Thompson, and R. B. Reynolds, eds. Chicago: AHIMA