Practice Standard
It is the obligation of every employee and board member to protect the student’s right to privacy and confidentiality at all times. This includes, but is not limited to, information regarding sexually transmitted infections, reproductive health/family planning and mental health. Lab tests and results as well as pregnancy related referrals are highly sensitive and will be managed in such a way as to protect the student’s privacy and confidentiality.
Procedure
All School-Based Health Center staff and volunteers (medical, dental, and behavioral health) will comply with the following:
- All interactions, especially those related to reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections (STI), family planning and mental health, will be regarded as strictly confidential.
- Referral information will be documented in the student’s medical record and/or secureaccess electronic referral logs.
- Pregnancy and STI testing is CLIA waived and performed on-site. Results are documented only in the student’s medical record. Tracking logs for these tests are maintained in a secure environment.
- Access to medical records and referral logs will be limited to authorized staff members with responsibility for direct patient care.
- Test results are communicated directly to the student (in person or by phone) and only after verifying the identity of the student.
- Test results will not be left as messages on answering machines or communicated by email.
- All counseling and education, whether in person, telehealth or by telephone, will be done in an area that provides auditory and visual/physical privacy.
- If necessary, to protect the student’s privacy and confidentiality, billing will be deferred. In these instances, EHR encounters may be marked as “CONFIDENTIAL” to prevent inadvertent parental notification through the insurance company.
For appointment management, all staff and medical, dental, and behavioral health) will:
- Inform the student of the appointment or provide the student with a health center pass, as identified by the school’s confidential policies.
- In the event the student forgets their appointment, the health center staff or will call the teacher and inform them to send the student to a designated area, as identified by the school’s confidential policies.