Under what circumstances can personal health infomation be used for ..?
purposes unrelated to health care?
Answer:
Most pharmacies, hospitals, health insurance companies and doctors' offices have you sign a copy of a document explaining how they might use your personal health information (PHI). They use your health information in order to address your current and potential future problems of course, and they will exchange that information with one another if it pertains to your current health-related needs (i.e. A hospital may call the pharmacy to get a list of your current medications and dosages if you are unable to list them all. A doctor's office may contact the insurance company to inquire if a particular medication or procedure is covered under your plan.) Normally, your PHI is not to be used for other purposes unless you agree to it, so look at the documents you sign carefully. If you sign off on it, any of the information you provide can be used (sold) for marketing purposes to say, drug companies, health-food /nutrition/vitamin companies, non-profit organizations dedicated to certain illnesses, etc. Your information can also be accessed by law enforcement (whether you like it or not) if it is deemed to be relevant to a lawsuit or potential or suspected criminal activity (You've been selling your painkillers on the street again?!). Normally a warrant is needed by local law enforcement unless it is the medical facility that called them in to report a crime, but the DEA can search records pretty much at will.
Yes, if you sign a release of information to allow for such a release. As long as you sign the release it can be used for anything you authorize it to be used for.
It can be used to ttreat you for ailments. But normally outside a hospital or doctor's office, that information is privileged information and cannot be used for anything else unless a court order is made to use it in a criminal or civil case.
No one can be privy to your medical records and doctors and hospital personnel are not allowed to divulge privileged information.
Same thing as privileged information with a lawyer or a minister. The federal government may ask that information if you are applying for a job, but a consent form must be signed to let them have knowledge of that information.
If you dont sign the consent form, you may not get the job, but they are obligated to hold that information in strictest confidence and cannot be shared without your consent.
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