2016-698 Emergency Svc - North State Medical Transport - Application for Services Franchise by Ordinance

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obtained and documented by the staff member before disclosure of PHI is made to the law enforcement official. 3. If the staff member is unsure about whether the release of PHI is proper, the staff member should contact North State Medical Transport's HIPAA Compliance Officer or an immediate supervisor for guidance. Under no circumstance should any staff member release PHI to law enforcement if the staff member is unsure about the appropriateness of the disclosure. 4. If the request for PHI does not fall under one of the purposes listed in this policy, the staff member should inform the law enforcement officer that s/he is not permitted under HIPAA to release the information. The staff member may inform the law enforcement official of the following two options: a. The law enforcement official may obtain legal process, such as a warrant, summons, or subpoena, to obtain the information from North State Medical Transport. b. The law enforcement official may obtain the information directly from the patient if the patient is stable and willing to speak with the official. Staff members should only provide this option to a law enforcement official when doing so would not impede patient care and where the patient is willing to speak with the official. For a stable patient, the staff member should first consult with the patient to determine whether the patient is willing to speak with the official. If the patient declines to speak with the official, the staff member should inform the enforcement official. 5. Staff members should record, at a minimum,the following information about all law enforcement requests that are unaccompanied by legal process: a. The name of the law enforcement official; b. The date and time of the request; c. The purposes for which the request was made (if provided); d. What information the law enforcement official requested; e. Whether the patient was consulted about the request and the patient's response; f. Whether the HIPAA Compliance Officer or other individual at North State Medical Transport was consulted about the request; g. Whether the law enforcement official made any representations to North State Medical Transport;