Senior Counsel Nick Welle was quoted in the WCA Authority article, “Confusion Reigns over Employer HIPAA Privacy Obligations,” about how lingering misconceptions and confusion about employer obligations under HIPAA may make them reluctant to interact with physicians treating their injured workers.
While the 1996 law was enacted to safeguard the privacy of individuals, Welle noted that “HIPAA regulation makes clear that they understand that workers comp is a whole separate animal, and to get it done, to make sure the injured party is compensated, to make sure the entire process runs somewhat smoothly, you have to be able to disclose protected health information when required by state law governing workers comp,” Welle said.
