Question

Mr. Starsky is an investigator from a local law enforcement agency and comes to your office. He shows you proper identification stating that he is a government employee. He is looking for your patient's immigration status and for his medical condition. What should Dr. Charlatan do when the prior practice refuses to provide the patient's chart due to non-payment and the patient asks about it?

A) Inform the patient of the refusal and advise resolving the payment issue.
B) Provide the patient with a copy of the chart from your own records.
C) Tell the patient that the chart is unavailable due to non-payment.
D) Offer to mediate between the patient and the prior practice.

Answer 1

Dr. Charlatan should maintain confidentiality of the patient's immigration status and medical condition unless presented with a legal warrant and should inform the patient of their prior practice's refusal to release the medical records due to non-payment, advising on possible solutions.

Step-by-step explanation:

When dealing with a request from Mr. Starsky for a patient's immigration status and medical condition, Dr. Charlatan must adhere to laws regarding patient confidentiality and privacy. Firstly, without the patient's explicit consent, releasing such information could be a violation of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). If Mr. Starsky has a warrant, the situation changes, and legal counsel should be consulted. Regarding the prior practice refusing the patient's chart, Dr. Charlatan should inform the patient about the refusal due to non-payment and suggest options, like resolving the payment issue or mediating between the patient and the former practice, potentially providing a copy of the chart from his own records if available and if it does not violate any privacy rules or agreements with the prior practice.