Sunshine Laws; Hipaa Law Doesn't Mean Ambulances Operate in Secret, Van Hollen Says

Summary

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Fire departments in Wisconsin cannot use the federal HIPAA law as a reason to withhold basic public information about ambulance calls, such as names and addresses of those who required medical help, the attorney general said in an opinion issued Thursday.

The opinion by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will have an effect around the state, where some fire departments routinely refuse to release information about those treated by emergency personnel.

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Extract

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Sunshine Laws; Hipaa Law Doesn't Mean Ambulances Operate in Secret, Van Hollen Says

Such was the case earlier this year in Waukesha, where the Fire Department cited HIPAA privacy provisions in refusing a Journal Sentinel request to release information resulting from its call to treat a suspect...

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