Why HIPAA Waiver Wasn’t Needed After Orlando Shooting
The law, intended to protect patients' privacy, grants providers latitude in some circumstances to disclose certain information based on judgment, reason and compassion. Meanwhile, the proximity of the massacre to a Level 1 trauma center may have saved lives, a medical journal editor makes a push for more research on gun violence and experts speak about why it's dangerous to oversimplify mental illness in relation to mass shootings.
Modern Healthcare:
Confusion Over Whether Orlando Providers Needed HIPAA Waiver
Following Sunday's mass shooting that left 50 people dead and dozens of others wounded, there were reports that the White House waived federal privacy law restrictions that prevent healthcare organizations in Orlando from openly discussing patients cases. (Conn, 6/13)
Orlando Sentinel:
Proximity To A Level 1 Trauma Center Helped Saved Lives, Doctors Say
Location was everything when it came to treating the victims from the Pulse nightclub mass shooting. "I think in trying to search for saving graces and silver linings, the fact that this tragedy happened within two blocks of one of the country's top Level 1 trauma centers was such an advantage," said Dr. George Ralls, director of health and public safety at Orange County Government, referring to Orlando Regional Medical Center. By Monday afternoon, 29 shooting victims remained at (Orlando Regional Medical Center), five of them in grave condition. Surgeons had performed more than 30 operations. (Miller, 6/13)
CQ Magazine:
Medical Journal's Editor Pushes Research On Guns
The editor of a major medical journal wants to spark more research on preventing gun violence, a field scientists say has long been limited by a congressional appropriations rider. (Young, 6/13)
Columbus Dispatch:
Mental-Illness Tag Not So Simple To Explain Shootings
The ex-wife of the man who shot up an Orlando gay club early Sunday quickly told reporters that he was bipolar and that “he was mentally unstable and mentally ill.” She and the imam of the Islamic center that the shooter attended both attributed the violence to mental illness. But mental-health experts say such acts rarely carry such tidy explanations. (Kurtzman, 6/14)
