HHS – April 2002
INSURER:  What happens when I am required to report information under state law?  I assume that if some other law requires me to disclose health information, I won’t have to do a big analysis under the privacy rule, or get caught in the middle because the privacy rule might not allow the disclosure?
A disclosure of identifiable health information that is required by another law is permitted by the Privacy Rule.
TRUE !
TRUE!   A disclosure of identifiable health information that is required by another law is automatically permitted by the Privacy Rule.

There is a special provision permitting such disclosures, so no one can get ‘caught in the middle.’  The Privacy Rule generally would require a covered entity to provide an accounting of the disclosure to the patient upon request.