A release of information (ROI) department or division is found in the majority of
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
s. In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA or the Kennedy– Kassebaum Act) is a United States Act of Congress enacted by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 21, ...
and state guidelines strongly direct the rules and regulations of patient information. ROI departments perform such tasks as obtaining patient consent, certifying medical records, and deciding what information can be released.
The ROI department is often found within the
health information management
Health information management (HIM) is information management applied to health and health care. It is the practice of analyzing and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care. With the widespr ...
services (HIMS) department of a hospital. The oversight of the HIMS department is usually overseen by a director. The director of health information may have credentials such as RHIT (registered health information technician) or RHIA (registered health information administrator).
Special federal regulations protect the release of information in the areas of
mental health
Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
, drug treatment, and alcohol treatment. Records of this nature often require either a patient's consent or a court order for their release. ROI staff must possess a strong acumen for the legal rights of the patient.
See also
*
Medical records department
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Release Of Information Department
Hospital departments