Melissa wrote:
<quote>...I continue to encourage (actually, implore) private practice or non-hospital
LC's to CALL and get the "rest of the story" when they are faced with
so-called "train wrecks" from the hospital.

 

Melinda Lueck, RN, BSN, IBCLC

Toledo, Ohio  <end quote>

Hi Melissa,
My question (to anyone on the list) is, what about HIPAA?  (For those outside the US health care system, HIPAA involves privacy laws and means that health care workers cannot discuss patients outside the confines of the worker's clinic/hospital/other work site, without the patient's written consent.)  
Do private-practice LC's routinely obtain written consent to discuss patients with the hospital?  What about WIC peer counselors?  This is a real sticking-point in my WIC program, where peers are usually counseling the mother over the phone and not in person.  It's complicated by our serving non-English-speaking clients, who are more likely to want the peer to advocate for them with other health care providers.  Could anyone share how they deal with protecting the patient's right to privacy while trying the help them with breastfeeding?
TIA,
Marcia McCoy, IBCLC in Minnesota



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