HIPAA Waiver?

[ixousdan]

Irving TX.
I am hesitant to spend another two to three hours taking off from work and waiting in the Dr. office to get the two minute report from my mucoceole excision from my inner lip.

Can I create or get a HIPAA waiver from the internet to allow/force my doctor to report results from the procedure to any person that answers the phone number that I designate, or send the report in the mail if the results are not life threatening? The specialist is the third doctor to tell me that the mucoceole excision from inner lip is not dangerous. Biopsy could be cancerous, but not likely. I am willing to discuss the results in person if there is a problem.

[seniorjudge]

Originally Posted by ixousdan

Irving TX.
I am hesitant to spend another two to three hours taking off from work and waiting in the Dr. office to get the two minute report from my mucoceole excision from my inner lip.

Can I create or get a HIPAA waiver from the internet to allow/force my doctor to report results from the procedure to any person that answers the phone number that I designate, or send the report in the mail if the results are not life threatening? The specialist is the third doctor to tell me that the mucoceole excision from inner lip is not dangerous. Biopsy could be cancerous, but not likely. I am willing to discuss the results in person if there is a problem.

Such a waiver should be possible; call the doctor's(s') office(s) to ask them what kind of waiver they will accept.

[ecmst12]

I don't think you should need a waiver for the doctor to send YOUR records to YOUR address of record addressed to YOU. But Hipaa is so poorly understood that your doctor's office might think you do.

[cbg]

But it would be necessary for them to provide a waiver to give the information to anyone who answers the phone.

When the current version of HIPAA was signed into law, all doctor's offices were required to provide each patient with an informational brochure and obtain a signature. This brochure allowed the patient to list the names of individuals to whom the doctor's office could release information.

All the OP needs to do is ask the doctor for one of these forms and list the names of anyone who would be answering the phone at the home phone number.

[ecmst12]

Some offices won't give out any info over the phone, period, which I think is just silly. If you verify your name/address/social/DOB that should be sufficient for them to know that you are who you claim to be and they can discuss your info with you. But for them to MAIL you results, which you said would be acceptable, you shouldn't need to sign anything special.

If the results are serious, they'll most likely call and just say that you need to come in to discuss them, without telling you anything specific. That's less for Hipaa though and more because general medical ethics say that stuff like that should be discussed in person with a doc who can answer all your questions.