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Can mental health records be released?
Generally, if you receive mental health services under the Lanterman- Petris-Short Act (you are involuntarily or voluntarily treated in a state hospital, state developmental center, county psychiatric hospital, private institution, hospital, or clinic, or receive services under a community mental health treatment …
Where are mental health records kept?
general medical chart
Best practices state mental health records be stored within the patient’s general medical chart, while psychotherapy notes should be stored separately from the patient’s general medical record.
Are mental health records covered under Hipaa?
HIPAA permits health care providers to disclose to other health providers any protected health information (PHI) contained in the medical record about an individual for treatment, case management, and coordination of care and, with few exceptions, treats mental health information the same as other health information.
Can medical records be emailed?
In general, medical records are unencrypted when transmitted via email. In the eyes of many, it is a no-no to exchange medical records by email. Doing so risks exposing the personal information and medical histories of patients to hackers seeking to take advantage of their personal health information (PHI).
Do medical records include mental health records?
HHS outlines psychotherapy notes are not inclusive of medical prescriptions, session start and stop times, frequency of treatment, clinical tests, summaries of diagnosis, symptoms, prognosis, etc. These pieces of information are considered mental health records, and thus part of the patient’s general medical record.
What does Hipaa say about mental health records?
What is the safest way to send medical records?
If a fax is sent to the wrong person, the medical records will be exposed to unauthorized individuals. So, email is not only a much more modern way to send records, but also a more secure way if used properly.
Is an email address PHI?
And as we’ve learned, even names or email addresses become PHI when coupled with a health condition. Covered entities must take reasonable steps to protect PHI sent via email all the way to the recipient’s inbox.