Canadian pharmacy’s communications staff understands the needs of the media community, and seeks to meet these whenever possible. The health and privacy of our patients is always our top concern, however. The following standards serve to establish and align our priorities accordingly.
Because patient care is our primary responsibility, including maintaining a patient’s right to privacy and confidentiality if he or she wishes, Canadian pharmacy requires all media requests be directed to Corporate Communications. After the request is received, a member of Corporate Communications will promptly determine whether an interview, photograph or video is possible, and if it is, will coordinate the arrangements, including meeting and accompanying the media representative while on Bayfront’s campus.
HIPAA is an acronym that stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. With HIPAA’s privacy standards, limitations are placed on a hospital’s ability to release information about patients to the media. Bayfront is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our patients and their medical information as mandated by federal law. A reporter must supply the patient’s full name to receive a condition report. HIPAA does not permit the release of the nature and description of a patient’s injuries, age/date of birth or home address.
A patient condition report describes a patient’s medical status. Bayfront adheres to The American Hospital Association’s recommendations for one-word descriptions of a patient’s condition. “Stable” is not a condition report and should not be used alone or with other condition reports.