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General
Rules of Confidentiality
occ-env-med-l Digest - 16 May 2002 to 17 May 2002
(#2002-3)
Friday,
May 17, 2002 7:29 AM
This from perspective of an injured
workers' advocate: The confidentiality
issue is generally state-law specific, either in the state's
WC law itself
or other legislation/common law precedent regarding patient
privacy. In
our State (NC), WC law provides that the employer or its
carrier, usually,
is entitled to clinic notes, lab data, from MD treating the
work-related
injury if it/they are paying compensation, including medical,
to the IW.
Discovery rules permit defense to request remote historical
info on grounds
of relevancy to injury/disease being treated (prior back
injuries in a
current back injury claim, for example.) NC Rules also
prohibit
e'er/carrier/rehab people they hire, et al., from having ex
parte contacts
with physician. There is a limited exception authorizing
nurse case
managers to meet w/ patient and MD post-exam, on their own
dime. They
cannot simply show up for appointments and sit in on patient
exam. Voc
rehab folks, who have no medical credentials, may communicate
(with
simultaneous notice to IW or rep) with treating MD only to
request
restrictions or to present job descriptions, pre-approved as
accurately
identifying all physical requirements of the former or newly
proposed job
by IW and/or representative, to determine whether claimant has
physical
capacity to perform it.
WC adjusters sometimes misinform unsophisticated claimants,
most of whom
are not yet represented by counsel, that they "must"
sign a blanket
authorization allowing access to medical records- unlimited as
to type or
age, in order to circumvent the rules- and the horse is out of
the barn by
the time the patient learns he/she has been lied to or counsel
is engaged
and moves to cancel the authorization.
Also, as someone pointed out, there are often overriding
protective laws,
including federal, covering extremely sensitive information
such as mental
health and substance abuse treatment, perhaps blood-borne
pathogen info.
In New York, the WC Board may have given you the gospel in
that State re
FOI laws, but would recommend you check with an experienced
claimant's
attorney for verification.
Claimants' advocates applaud physicians who are circumspect
about
protecting their patients' expectations of privacy in these
situations. In
ordinary civil litigation (personal injury), defense contact
with
plaintiffs' doctors is prohibited, and defense must use formal
discovery
rules presided over by judges when there is controversy over
disclosure.
As usual, in WC arena, the lines get somewhat blurred or
ignored. When in
doubt, you might consider erring, if at all, on protecting
privacy by
withholding information you consider sensitive, particularly
if it does not
seem relevant to the work injury on a common sense analysis,
or maintaining
separate files as some suggested, and let them try to
challenge you. Keep
in mind that if your deposition is taken and the stuff you
wish to keep
private is still in your patient's file, which sometimes
includes private
correspondence between you and claimant's attorney pursuant to
a specific
authorization signed by patient, the insurer's counsel is
entitled to
inspect it. Some claimant's lawyers will not send
correspondence they
don't want other side to see because they do not know whether
the provider
will care about confidentiality.
The patient information obtained by carriers can end up in a
huge database
like the MIB, Medical Information Bureau, and be available to
any insurance
company who asks for it, pays for access, whatever. I am
informed there
are other ins. databases shared by companies but it is
difficult to confirm
what is going on. They consider it private and
confidential- nice irony.
Best advice, I think, is to have your attorney give you an
opinion as to
what is or is not required in your state or under applicable
federal law.
Counsel for your state's Medical Society or whatever your
official
governing board for physicians is called, may be able to help
you sort this
out, also.
C.R. Hassell, Jr.
WC Atty.
Raleigh, NC
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