Administrative & LegalQuestion 83 of 100
A medical assistant receives a phone call from a patient's adult sister asking for the patient's laboratory results. The patient has not authorized any disclosure. What should the medical assistant do?
a.Give the results, since a sister is immediate family
b.Give only the abnormal results and withhold the normal ones
c.Politely explain that results cannot be released without the patient's authorization
d.Ask the sister to verify the patient's date of birth and then release everything
Explanation
Protected health information may not be disclosed to family members without the patient's authorization or another permitted exception, so the request must be politely declined. Being a relative does not by itself create a right of access. Releasing partial results or accepting a demographic detail as identity verification still constitutes an unauthorized disclosure.
Law Reference: HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR Part 164)Practice all 100 questions free — no signup required.
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