A: Court Order—You must disclose patient confidential information as requested by a court pursuant to an order of that court. The court order must be signed by a judge. (Civil Code §56.10(b)(1).)
Search Warrant—You must disclose patient confidential information as requested by a search warrant lawfully issued to a governmental law enforcement agency. (Civil Code §56.10(b)(6).)

A: You must disclose confidential information of a deceased patient as requested by a medical examiner, forensic pathologist, or coroner, when requested in the following:

1. In the course of an investigation by such persons for the purpose of identifying the deceased patient or locating next of kin;
2. When investigating the patient’s death that may involve public health concerns, organ or tissue donation, child abuse, elder abuse, suicides, poisonings, accidents, sudden infant deaths, suspicious deaths, unknown deaths, or criminal deaths;
3. Upon notification of, or investigation of, imminent deaths that may involve organ or tissue donation. (Civil Code §56.10(b)(8).)

A: Diagnosis and Treatment—You may (but are not required to) disclose patient confidential information to providers of health care and health care facilities for limited purposes of diagnosis or treatment of the patient. (Civil Code §56.10(c)(1).) We recommend, if practicable, that you obtain the patient’s authorization prior to disclosing confidential information. When disclosing information, therapists should make reasonable efforts to limit the information disclosed to that which is the “minimum necessary” to accomplish the purpose.

A: Prevention or Controlling Disease—.You may (but are not required to, unless there is a court order or search warrant) disclose confidential information to a local health department for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability and for the purpose of public health surveillance, interventions, or investigations. (Civil Code §56.10(c)(18).) As discussed above, we recommend to obtain the patient’s authorization prior to disclosing patient information. When disclosing information, therapists should make reasonable efforts to limit the information disclosed to that which is the “minimum necessary” to accomplish the purpose.

A: Disclosures for Disaster Relief Efforts—You may (but are not required to) disclose patient confidential information to a public or private entity to assist in disaster relief efforts, for the purpose of coordinating the notification to family members (or those involved in the patient’s care) of the patient’s location, general condition, or death. (Civil Code §56.1007(e).) As discussed above, we recommend if practicable, to obtain the patient’s authorization prior to disclosing confidential information. When disclosing information, therapists should make reasonable efforts to limit the information disclosed to that which is the “minimum necessary” to accomplish the purpose.

A: If you work in a hospital, clinic, or other setting, be sure to follow your employer’s protocols for safety and readiness. If a patient reports that they are ill or may have been exposed to any communicable illness, including but not limited to coronavirus, you may request the patient not come in for session until they are feeling well (or after consultation with a healthcare provider which can give you reasonable assurances that they are not contagious). If practicable and suitable for the patient, you may consider offering telehealth sessions.

A: Telehealth is a recognized method of offering treatment services via information and communication technologies, such as videoconferencing or telephone. If you work in a hospital, clinic, or other setting, check with your employer to see if telehealth is an option. If you work for your own practice, you may consider telehealth as an alternative method of rendering services. Read CAMFT’s article on California’s laws and regulations for telehealth. If you take insurance, it is recommended that you check with the patient’s plans and your managed care contracts on reimbursement policies for telehealth services. You can review CAMFT’s article on telehealth CPT Codes. You may also want to consider looking into electronic payment platforms in order to collect payments from patients you are treating via telehealth.