Question

You supervise the release of information (ROI) section in the health information management department of an acute care hospital, which is also a Level II regional trauma center. Today the hospital received a subpoena duces tecum from an attorney, demanding either the originals or copies of all health records on Paul Johnson, who was allegedly a patient of the hospital. The ROI clerk came to you, unsure what to do. The subpoena lacks sufficient information for you to determine whether Mr. Johnson is (or was) a patient in the facility. Also, the subpoena was not accompanied by a valid authorization to release information for Mr. Johnson, as required in your state.
How should you respond to the subpoena? Specifically address each of the following your initial response:

Answer 1

The given question lacks the question part which is given as follows:

1) the steps that you should take, as the supervisor, to take to determine whether Mr. Johnson is or was a patient in the hospital; (2) how the organization should respond to the subpoena

Answer:

(l) The steps that should be taken:

As we dont know if the subpoena is from a trusted source or not we can not express it in first importance for that one need to get important data to find if Paul is really a emegency clinic patient . As it is a imprtant step it couldn't be disregarded.

(2) 'The organization should respond in the following ways:

A letter shoud be write to request subpoena, to provide the expected data to that confirms Paul Johnson was hospitalized in the trauma center.  Organization can request to the attorney to give assuarance or gurantee for the source of the subpoena. Providing the data of the patient should be given to authorized people only for privacy concerns.

There are other imprtant aspects to be carefull so they are not held responsible or sue by the patient to giving data of an indiiual to someone.