Patient Confidentiality Information for Visiting Clergy and Pastoral Visitors |
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Your visits are important to us. We know that the healing effects of faith and participation in communities of faith are important. Clinical studies conducted by medical researchers have provided data of its significance in healthcare. Your visits encourage healing in our patients, so we want to support you and be helpful in every way possible. One way in which we can be helpful is to keep you informed of rules and regulations in the health care setting that impact patient visitation. The rules regarding confidentiality in the hospital setting are a result of the HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, 2003) legislation/regulations. HIPAA sets legal limits on the information that the Medical Center employees can provide to you about patients in order to protect their privacy. (Click here for a copy of the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.) When visiting, you are welcome to request the room locations of patients who are members of your congregation. You may also consult the religious census to help locate these patients. Please note that patients may decline having their name listed in the census information. We want to encourage you to continue to maintain your parishioners' privacy and confidentiality. Please obtain your parishioner's or member's permission as to what should or should not be shared with others regarding his/her hospitalization. We suggest you get your member's permission to tell others that he/she is in the hospital. Also, ask your member what he/she wants you to share with the congregation when honoring prayer requests. It is best not to share details about diagnosis, treatment plans, or prognosis. We hope that you find this information helpful as we partner with you in the pastoral/spiritual care of your congregants. As hospital chaplains, we have a responsibility to protect the privacy of those to whom we provide pastoral/spiritual care. We are happy to follow-up on requests to visit your hospitalized members. Please be mindful, however, that we cannot give you any information about your member's medical condition or related matters. We appreciate your sensitivity in these matters. Please feel free to contact us to make referrals or with any questions or concerns you may have regarding clergy/lay hospital visitation. Sincerely,
Richard B. Haines, D.Min. |
