The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) mandated regulations that govern privacy standards for health care information. HIPAA regulations specify the purposes for which information may and may not be released without authorization from the patient.
New HIPAA guidelines have been initiated regarding the release of patient conditions. Effective immediately, patient conditions may be released only if the inquiry specifically contains the patient’s full name. This includes patients entering Shands Jacksonville through the emergency department or Trauma Center.
All interview requests with physicians, employees and patients must be set up through the media relations specialist in the public relations department. Media representatives are not allowed inside Shands Jacksonville without an escort from the public relations department.