If you are the administrator for a group practice, a nursing home, a surgery center, an
imaging center or another health care facility, you probably have had to respond to requests for a deceased patient’s medical records from a surviving family member. It is not an uncommon request, and providers often want to allow family members access to their loved one’s records, but providers also want (and need) to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). How HIPAA and Nebraska law treat this issue may surprise you.

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