The Privacy Rule allows those doctors, nurses, hospitals, laboratory technicians, and other health care providers that are covered entities to use or disclose protected health information, such as X-rays, laboratory and pathology reports, diagnoses, and other medical information for treatment purposes without the ...
However, a HIPAA rule permits disclosure of PHI without prior obtained consent for healthcare operations, treatment, and payment. This includes consultation between providers regarding a patient, referring a patient, and information required by law for public health safety and reporting.