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Policy 14: Policy on News Media Interaction <br /> North State Medical Transport <br /> Policy on News Media Interaction <br /> Purpose <br /> The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") establishes <br /> the circumstances under which individuals' protected health information ("PHI") can be <br /> disclosed. Generally, North State Medical Transport may not disclose PHI to the news media <br /> without the patient's written express authorization. In addition, state laws may also grant <br /> patients additional privacy protections and may enable parties to bring legal action for invasion <br /> of privacy or other related causes of action for improper releases of patient information to the <br /> news media—sometimes even information that might not qualify as PHI under HIPAA. <br /> This policy establishes consistent guidelines for North State Medical Transport to follow <br /> when dealing with requests from the media so that North State Medical Transport respects <br /> individual privacy rights and complies with applicable federal and state law. This policy will is <br /> meant to work in conjunction with North State Medical Transport's "Action Plan on News <br /> Media Interaction." North State Medical Transport fully respects the right of the public to know <br /> about events, but we will provide information to the news media only to the extent that the <br /> law allows us and only when it would not infringe on the privacy rights of our patients. <br /> Scope <br /> This policy applies to all North State Medical Transport staff members who might come <br /> into contact with or who may be contacted by various media outlets. Generally, all requests <br /> from the media for any information about an incident involving North State Medical Transport <br /> will be directed to our Public Information Officer to handle. Or, if North State Medical <br /> Transport does not have a designated Public Information Officer, all requests should be <br /> directed to our HIPAA Compliance Officer. <br /> Procedure <br /> Requests from the News Media <br /> 1. North State Medical Transport staff members will at all times treat members of the <br /> media in a professional manner when a request for information is made. <br /> 2. All information requests from the news media received by any North State Medical <br /> Transport staff members shall be directed to the Public Information Officer. Or, if North <br /> State Medical Transport does not have a designated Public Information Officer, all <br /> requests from the news media shall be directed to the HIPAA Compliance Officer. Upon <br />