|
Patient Condition Report Guidelines
Regional Health facilities
follow guidelines regarding the release of patient condition
reports under federal Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.
The guidelines pertain to Rapid City Regional Hospital,
Custer Regional Hospital in Custer, Spearfish Regional Hospital in
Spearfish, Lead-Deadwood Regional Hospital in Deadwood, and Sturgis
Regional Hospital in Sturgis. They also pertain to
Regional Health Medical Clinics,Senior Care, Facilities and all other owned entities.
News entities seeking the condition report of a
patient must call the health care facility with the name of the
individual. All patients are asked if they want to be listed in
the health care facilities' directory. If the patient wants to be
listed in the directory, we will be able to provide reporters with
a one-word condition report. If the patient does not want to be
listed in the directory, news media will be told that individual
is not listed in the patient directory.
Therefore, when reporters are told that an individual is not listed
in the facility directory, that could mean that either the patient
is not in that facility, or that the patient is in the facility, but
has chosen, for privacy reasons, not to be listed in the directory.
Members of the Regional Health Public Relations and Marketing
Department will not have direct knowledge of whether the patient
is actually in the facility or not.
If an individual arrives at one of our health care facilities, and
is unconscious, or unable to decide whether he/she would like to be
listed in the directory, they will not be listed in the directory
unless they have been a patient in the past and have chosen to be
listed in the directory. If the individual is accompanied by a
legal representative (for example: a parent, guardian, spouse, or
someone with a Medical Power of Attorney) that can make the
decision for the individual, they will be offered the option of
listing the person on the directory. At such time when a patient
is conscious, or can make a decision regarding the directory
listing, they will be asked their preference.
This means that news media might call at one time/date and be told
that an individual is not listed on the directory, but at a later
time/date be told a condition report.
Due to federal regulations, Regional Health facilities will not be able to
disclose the date/time of hospitalization, discharge, transfer, or
death. In the case of a deceased patient, authorization to disclose
the death must be first obtained from a personal representative of
the deceased. Health care facilities can say that a patient has
been "treated and released" if the patient has opted to be listed
on the directory, but cannot disclose time/date of treatment and
release.
For more information concerning Patient Condition Reports, see
PATIENT CONDITIONS (Definitions)
We encourage news media with any questions regarding the new patient
condition report regulations to call Pamela Stillman-Rokusek, Media
Relations Coordinator, at (605) 719-5639. Thank you.
****Reminder: At Rapid City Regional Hospital news media
seeking condition reports should call the Public Relations and
Marketing Department, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at
(605) 719-5630. After hours, and on weekends, reporters should call
the Regional Hospital Coordinator at (605) 719-1000.
|
