Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information - Mo. Code Regs. Ann. tit. 13, § 70-1.020

The regulation above describes permissible disclosures of health information.  The Department of Social Services, the sole department responsible for MO HealthNet, the state’s Medicaid agency, can use an individual’s identifiable health information for treatment, payment, or health care.  The Department is also permitted to disclose this information for research purposes that help the MO HealthNet program.  The MO HealthNet program must also report the following:

• Contagious or reportable diseases, such as birth defects or cancer;
• Firearm injuries or trauma incidents;
• Reactions to medicine;
• To police if required by law;
• When ordered by the court;
• To the government in reviewing the performance of Department programs;
• To a provider or insurance company for verification of enrollment in MO HealthNet;
• To Workers’ Compensation for work related injuries;
• Birth, death or immunization information;
• To the federal government in the protection of the country, President or government workers;
• Information about victims of abuse or neglect to government authority as required by law;
• Medical eligibility when used for a government function.

In other situations, the Department must ask for the written authorization of the patient before disclosing health information. 

The patient also has certain rights regarding his or her health information.  Participants of MO HealthNet have the following rights:

• Receive private information from the Department of Social Services;
• Have their doctor see private health information;
• Request a change in their medical information if they see an error;
• Request a list of information from the Department that was shared, and not for payment or treatment purposes.  The individual must request a copy of the protected information and may be required to pay a fee.