Can somebody explain to me what a HIPPA release form is please? I am in the UK and have never heard of it before.
Alex was going to list me as his emergency contact, but they won't let him change it until his annual review in march, but if, as you said, the emergency contact is a joke, I need to get him to do the HIPPA form.
Where would I get one from? I am visiting him in PA next month, if somebody could tell me where to get one from,I'll do it while I am there.

Thanks.

HIPAA = Health Insurance Portability & Accountablility Act. A good web site to access for general Hipaa Info is http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/.

A Department of Corrections cannot legally demand that an inmate wait until hios or hwer quarterly review before changing emergency contact information.

By NY DOCS own administrative Medical Policy & Procedures Manual, the emergency contact should have been notified of the inmate's hospitalization by medical staff right away.

Inmate medical records (or anyone else's medical records) are not discoverable under the Freedom of Information laws -- they are protected from disclosure under the physician-patient confidentiality laws.

Many records relating to an inmate's death can be discovered. Here in NY, however, it is an uphill battle to access them, though not by any means impossible.

Please use this forum to help members and PMS only for private personal information...

thanks!

Can I send him a HIPAA form to have signed and notarized and put in his file?

yes

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&defl=en&q=define:HIPAA

from Google

Thankyou both for the information, I'll read through it more tomorrow and then get it all dealt with.