For the Media

Patient Information Guidelines

St. Vincent's HealthCare follows the American Hospital Association's guidelines for releasing patient information to the media. Hospitals and health systems are responsible for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of their patients and patient information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) mandated regulations that govern privacy standards for healthcare information.

• Inquiries must contain the patient's name unless the inquiry comes from clergy.
• As long as the patient has not requested the information be withheld, we may release the patient's one-word condition without obtaining prior patient authorization. Patients must give written permission to be interviewed, photographed, or for issuing written statements about his/her condition.
• Condition should be given as Good, Fair, Serious, and Critical. Patients who are still being assessed or who have not yet been seen by the physician are considered to be "Undetermined."
• We do not release the name of the attending physician without his/her permission.
• If a patient has died, that fact and the time of death as recorded on the medical chart may be released ONLY if the patient's next-of-kin has been notified. We do not release information relating to the cause of death of a patient/resident.

Download a copy of St. Vincent's HealthCare's HIPAA Notice of Privacy Policy.

Matters Of Public Record

Matters of public record refer to situations that are reportable by law to public authorities, such as law enforcement agencies, the coroner, or public health officer. While laws and/or regulations require healthcare facilities to report a variety of information to public authorities, according to the American Hospital Association, it is not the responsibility of facilities to provide that information in response to calls and other inquires from the media or other parties. Instead, such calls should be directed to the appropriate public authority. Patients who are involved in matters of public record have the same privacy rights as all other patients, as far as St. Vincent's HealthCare is concerned. Celebrities, public figures, and public officials are not subject to different standards than other patients when it comes to hospital policies for releasing information to the media.