Hospital Rules...? - Writers Forum

Firewriter23 · 12-04-2006, 10:57 AM

Okay, not too sure on this, but...say someone was rushed to the hopsital and their friends, or fiancé were the only ones there, can and will the doctors tell them about the patient?

thamior · 12-04-2006, 11:58 AM

reserving post spot if I find some info

"Beantownsweety: no
Beantownsweety: well maybe the fiance but def not friends
Beantownsweety: only immediate family is told"

Firewriter23 · 12-04-2006, 12:25 PM

Thanks again, I have to work on my story today, I have someone waiting to read it and edit it for me, lol.

Kimba · 12-04-2006, 05:47 PM

If depends on how serious the injury is. Different hospitals have different policies regarding what can be told about a patient. If the family is not available at the time of admission or can not be contacted then the medical staff will be very careful what to tell the friend about the patient's condition.

It's all about patient confidentiality and hospital medical staff are very wary about imparting too much information to non-family members. The most the staff will probably tell the friend is that the patient's condition is stable or critical. If the person who brought the patient in is a fiance, they he/she will be treated as a family member.

thamior · 12-04-2006, 06:21 PM

yea, on the same token. I know from my experience that for a non-serious injury they are more apt to reveal information to people other than immediate family. But it's all situational. They have regualation standards to follow though...

Firewriter23 · 12-04-2006, 06:30 PM

See and I kind of figured that they would tell the fiancé. I just wasn't 100% sure of it. Thanks for clearing it up though.

ghent96 · 12-12-2006, 11:55 PM

It depends on how strictly they misinterpret the HIPAA laws.

Strict - they won't even tell family members. This, is bullcrap, and illegal, but no one has nor can successfully prosecute for it.

Loosely - they will tell limited, pertinent info only to whoever came in with them. If you start asking about their SS#, or for their wallet or possessions to hold onto for them... they'll give you the evil eye and ask you to leave.

Moral of the story is that the HIPAA laws do little to nothing that they were intended to do, do what they were not intended to do, and in general muck up the US healthcare system from hospital to grocery store to clinical trials, and inflate healthcare costs.

(credentials: worked in hospital pharmacy, worked in management of clinical trials, in adv degree program for pharmacy & clinical research now now)

Kimba · 12-13-2006, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghent96

Strict - they won't even tell family members. This, is bullcrap, and illegal, but no one has nor can successfully prosecute for it.

Actually, they'll have no choice but to tell family members if the casualty is unconscious and can't speak for themselves. Medical stuff certainly can't give treatment without consent from next of kin.

What exactly are HIPAA laws?

mammamaia · 12-14-2006, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Medical stuff certainly can't give treatment without consent from next of kin.

assuming you meant 'staff'... sorry, but that's nonsense... if emergency treatment or even surgery is called for, to save the patient's life, no one in a hospital is going to wait to find someone to sign a release and let the patient die... in the case of a minor, a judge may have to appoint a guardian ad litem to give permission, if no relatives can be found...

Kimba · 12-14-2006, 03:30 PM

Um .... well, I did mean medical staff but I actually meant major surgery as opposed to emergency surgery. I only realized my mistake after I'd turned off the computer yesterday LOL

You are right though, maia. All consent for emergency surgery is overruled in an effect to save a life. Major or life-changing surgery, on the other hand, must be done with consent. At least, that's the law here ...