Question

Melissa's mother, Rita Baker, shows up shortly after the hospital receives Melissa's letter requesting release of her information to her attorney again. Rita states that the attorney needs the copies as soon as possible due to a court deadline, refers to it as "an emergency" and asks to be given the copies of Melissa's medical record to take to the attorney's office. What action should the record clerk take?

Answer 1

The record clerk should not provide Melissa's mother with copies of Melissa's medical record without proper authorization. Confidentiality is important, and legal means should be pursued to obtain the records.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this situation, the record clerk should not provide Melissa's mother with copies of Melissa's medical record to take to the attorney's office. Confidentiality is a crucial aspect of medical records, and releasing them without proper authorization or following the established protocols can be a violation of the law.

The record clerk should inform Rita Baker that she needs to provide written authorization from Melissa or her attorney in order to release the medical records. The clerk can explain that this is done to ensure that the release of information is authorized and in compliance with legal requirements.

If there is a court deadline, the record clerk should recommend that Melissa or her attorney seek legal means, such as filing a court order or subpoena, to obtain the required medical records in a legal and appropriate manner.