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receipt of a request for information from the news media, staff members should inform <br /> the news media requestor that it is the policy of North State Medical Transport that all <br /> media requests be handled by one official and staff members should provide the media <br /> requestor contact information for the Public Information Officer or HIPAA Compliance <br /> Officer, as appropriate. Or, the staff member may contact the Public Information <br /> Officer or HIPAA Compliance Officer to inform the Officer of the request and request <br /> authorization to release information to the media. <br /> 3. Staff members other than North State Medical Transport's Public Information Officer or <br /> HIPAA Compliance Officer are not permitted to release information to the news media, <br /> unless authorized or directed by the appropriate Officer to do so. <br /> 4. The Public Information Officer or HIPAA Compliance Officer shall use discretion in <br /> handling requests from the news media and when deciding whether to release (or <br /> permit the release) of information to the media. The Public Information Officer or HIPAA <br /> Compliance Officer should only release information to the media when such release <br /> would not violate federal or state laws and when release would not infringe a patient's <br /> reasonable expectation to privacy. For example, if North State Medical Transport <br /> transported a high profile member of the community, North State Medical Transport <br /> should probably decline to disclose even general information that does identify the <br /> individual to the media since it is likely the patient's identity would be known to anyone <br /> hearing the report. <br /> Releasing Information to the News Media <br /> 1. North State Medical Transport may not release any PHI to the news media, absent a <br /> patient's written, signed authorization. In the event that the patient or the patient's <br /> authorized representative signs a HIPAA-compliant authorization form, disclosures of <br /> information, including PHI, may be made so long as they are done in accordance with <br /> the express terms of the written Authorization. North State Medical Transport's <br /> "Authorization to Use and Disclose Protected Health Information" Form should be used <br /> for this purpose. <br /> 2. If there is no written authorization from the patient, North State Medical Transport may <br /> only release information that is "de-identified/' De-identified information is information <br /> that does not identify an individual and there is no reasonable basis to believe that the <br /> information can be used to identify a specific individual. North State Medical Transport <br /> may only release the following types of"de-identified" information to members of the <br /> media where appropriate: <br /> a. Name of hospital. North State Medical Transport may provide the name of the <br /> hospital to which patients have been transported. (Example: The media calls about <br /> "the accident at Third and Main earlier this afternoon." North State Medical <br />