Newsroom Policies and Resources

Policies and Resources

LifeBridge Health Media Policy

All interview requests with all members of the LifeBridge Health staff, patients, families and visitors must go through the Strategic Marketing and Communications Department. Someone will respond to your request in a timely manner. Please provide as much advance notice as possible for interviews so arrangements can be made for the best locations, employees, patients, families and visitors to enhance your story. However, we will still work to accommodate last-minute requests as well. Please identify staff members with LifeBridge Health or with their hospital titles in stories related to the staff member's work or role within the organization. Again, to protect the privacy of all LifeBridge Health patients, families and visitors, a member of the strategic marketing and communications team must accompany all reporters, television and film crews, producers, and photographers on any LifeBridge Health campus. In addition, patients, family members and visitors cannot be interviewed or photographed prior to signing a media authorization form in accordance with HIPAA policies. For more information, please contact the LifeBridge Health Strategic Marketing & Communications Department at 410-601-5022.

HIPAA Policies & Procedures

HIPAA is the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. A major part of the law protects the confidentiality of health care information. Under the law, representatives cannot disclose the nature or extent of a patient's illness without the patient's written permission, even if the case is a matter of public record. Under HIPAA, hospitals cannot tell the media anything about a patient, including whether he or she is at the hospital, if the reporter does not have the person’s name. However, if the media has the name of a patient, and he/she has not opted out of the system, a hospital spokesperson can confirm the presence of the patient and provide a general description of the patient's condition, using the following American Hospital Association guidelines:

• Good

• Fair

• Serious

• Critical

All other information is considered part of the medical record and requires a patient's written permission for release.

The law makes no special provisions for public officials, celebrities, or as stated earlier, cases of public record. As a result, spokespeople must treat these situations within the limit of the law.

In cases of mental health, alcohol or drug abuse situations, the patient's presence cannot be confirmed, and no general or directory information can be released.

If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Strategic Marketing and Communications at 410-601-5022.