{"id":2488,"date":"2019-11-19T14:18:34","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T14:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/article\/how-can-i-access-a-loved-ones-health-care-info\/"},"modified":"2023-06-27T13:08:54","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T17:08:54","slug":"how-can-i-access-a-loved-ones-mental-health-care-info","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/how-can-i-access-a-loved-ones-mental-health-care-info\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfC\u00f3mo puedo acceder a la informaci\u00f3n sobre la atenci\u00f3n de salud mental de un ser querido?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re helping take care of a family member or friend who is experiencing mental health concerns, at some point you will probably want to speak with their healthcare providers about their treatment. Privacy laws are complicated\u2014so it can be hard to know what information you\u2019re entitled to, and how to access it.<\/p>\n<h2>Privacy laws<\/h2>\n<p>The main law governing the privacy of medical records in the United States is the <strong>Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)<\/strong>. HIPAA covers health care info such as treatments, payments, and medical conditions\u2014including mental illness. Medical providers (such as doctors and therapists) can share this information with family members and friends only if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the provider believes it is in the patient\u2019s best interest, <em>y<\/em><\/li>\n<li>the patient hasn\u2019t explicitly said they don\u2019t want the information shared, <em>o<\/em><\/li>\n<li>the provider believes that the patient or someone else is in immediate danger.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>HIPAA gives the provider a lot of room to use their own judgment. But HIPAA isn\u2019t the only law that can affect your loved one\u2019s privacy:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If the patient is receiving treatment for substance abuse, that information is protected by a different law, <strong>42 CFR Part 2<\/strong>. This law is more strict. Providers need explicit permission to share <em>any<\/em> information about the patient\u2019s substance use\u2014including the fact that they\u2019re receiving treatment at all.<\/li>\n<li>If the patient is a student, their information is protected under the <strong>Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Many states have their own privacy laws that add additional restrictions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There\u2019s one type of information that you probably won\u2019t be able to access at all: notes from a therapy session. Your loved one\u2019s therapist might share information about how many sessions they\u2019ve had, or how your loved one is doing generally\u2014especially if they think your loved one is a danger to themselves or to others. But there\u2019s no legal obligation for them to share details about what they talked about. This confidentiality is an important part of therapy.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting permission to access health care information<\/h2>\n<p>As you can see, it can get pretty complicated. This can be a big headache for you\u2026 but it\u2019s also tricky for the provider. Many providers prefer to stay on the side of caution: they won\u2019t share any information unless the patient explicitly tells them to. That keeps the provider out of trouble, but it also protects the patient.<\/p>\n<p>The best way to deal with privacy laws is to get written permission from your loved one to access their health care info. Most providers have their own forms for this, which your loved one can fill out.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also good to plan for emergencies. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/who-makes-mental-health-decisions-me-if-i-cant\/\">ask your loved one to make you their health care agent<\/a>. If your loved one is ever in a situation where they can\u2019t make their own decisions, their <strong>health care agent <\/strong>can access their health care info and make those decisions on their behalf. A good way of doing this is to <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/what-is-a-psychiatric-advance-directive-pad\/\">help your loved one fill out a psychiatric advance directive (PAD)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, all this relies on communicating openly with your loved one. These conversations can be tough to have. But having them will help your loved one trust you more. If you start calling their providers asking for information without talking to your loved one first, it will feel like an invasion of their privacy\u2014and that will only make your job as a caregiver harder.<\/p>\n<h2>What if I can\u2019t access their information?<\/h2>\n<p>The flip side of communicating openly with your loved one about this is that <strong>they might say no<\/strong>. If that happens, it can be frustrating. It might hurt your feelings. It can make it harder to support them, especially if they reach a point of crisis.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s important to respect their privacy. That\u2019s the only way you can develop a relationship built on trust. And if your loved one doesn\u2019t trust you, it\u2019s going to be harder for you to help them. Health care information can be extremely personal\u2026 and for many people, that goes double when it comes to mental health.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re unable to access their information, do the best you can. Come up with a crisis plan. Try to have ongoing conversations with your loved one. <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/my-loved-one-wont-talk-me-about-their-mental-health\/\">Respect their boundaries and don\u2019t keep bringing things up that they\u2019re not comfortable with<\/a>. But always let them know you\u2019re there and willing to be involved. As you build trust, they may choose to open up to you more in the future. If they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/what-to-do-when-they-dont-want-help\/\">completely unwilling to accept help<\/a>, you may need to reevaluate your caregiving role.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, there\u2019s no restriction on you <em>giving<\/em> information to your loved one\u2019s providers. If you\u2019ve observed something that you think may affect your loved one\u2019s treatment, you can always contact the office to provide this information.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"button blue round caret collapsed\" href=\"#references\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"references\" data-toggle-text=\"Hide References\">Mostrar referencias<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"references\" class=\"references collapse\">\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. (2017). <em>Information Related to Mental and Behavioral Health, including Opioid Overdose<\/em>. Obtenido de <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/hipaa\/for-professionals\/special-topics\/mental-health\/index.html\">https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/hipaa\/for-professionals\/special-topics\/mental-health\/index.html<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re helping take care of a family member or friend who is experiencing mental health concerns, at some point you will probably want to speak with their healthcare providers about their treatment. Privacy laws are complicated\u2014so it can be hard to know what information you\u2019re entitled to, and how to access it. Privacy laws &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/how-can-i-access-a-loved-ones-mental-health-care-info\/\" class=\"more-link\">Seguir leyendo<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;How can I access a loved one&#8217;s mental health care info?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"template":"","age_group":[23,100,19],"condition":[],"class_list":["post-2488","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","age_group-11-17","age_group-over-18","age_group-under-11"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>How can I access a loved one&#039;s mental health care info?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/how-can-i-access-a-loved-ones-mental-health-care-info\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How can I access a loved one&#039;s mental health care info?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re helping take care of a family member or friend who is experiencing mental health concerns, at some point you will probably want to speak with their healthcare providers about their treatment. 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