1. Must a health care provider or other covered entity obtain permission from a patient prior to notifying public health authorities of the occurrence of a reportable disease?
2. Must a revocation of a consent for treatment, or an authorization for use and disclosure of protected health information be in writing?
3. If health care providers that are affiliated or part of an organized health care arrangement are located in different states with different laws regarding uses and disclosures of health information (such as a chain of pharmacies), do they need to obtain a consent in each state that the patient obtains treatment?
4. May consent be obtained by a health care provider only one time if there is a single connected course of treatment involving multiple visits?
5. Must a health care provider verify a signature on a consent form if the individual is not present when he signs it?
6. May consent for use or disclosure of protected health information be provided electronically?
7. What is the interaction between "consent" and "notice"?
8. Will health care providers be required to determine whether another covered entity has a more restrictive consent form before disclosing information to that entity for purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations?
9. Is HHS planning to develop model consent forms and model authorizations? Where can health care providers get help with these forms?
10. I have been seeing some of my patients for many years. Do I have to ask them to sign a new consent form after the HIPAA compliance date in April 2003?
11. If I am conducting a research study, do I have to get the patient to sign more than one informed consent document, or can the new "authorization" be combined with the consent to participate in the study?
12. What is the difference between a "consent" and an "authorization" under HIPAA? Do I have to get both each time I see the patient?
13. If a patient revokes his consent before a health care provider has billed for the services, is the provider stuck for the cost of his services?
14. Are health care providers who provide indirect treatment (such as a radiologist) required to obtain consent from the primary provider's patient?
15. What happens when the patient refuses to consent?
16. Are we required to have a privacy contact person in our organization?
17. What are the documentation requirements of health care providers with respect to consents for uses and disclosures?
18. Can the consent be combined with other documents, for instance, can it be combined with our Notice of Privacy Practices or types of written permission?