Sharing Patient Medical Information by Telephone for Treatment Purposes

Originally approved April 2025

Emergency physicians routinely care for patients with life-threatening or time sensitive conditions, often without any prior medical background. Electronic medical record systems often fail to link patient medical records from outside facilities. Sharing patient information between emergency departments by telephone can help inform treatment decisions, especially in an emergency setting where typical venues such as medical records offices are often not open or able to provide information in a time-sensitive manner. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) allows for covered entities such as physicians, nurses, and other health care providers to share health information for treatment purposes without patient authorization [45 CFR 164.506].

In alignment with federal law, ACEP supports the sharing of any pertinent health information contained in the standard medical record by telephone between emergency departments for the purposes of medical treatment regardless of patient authorization. ACEP recommends that health systems implement policies specifically authorizing such sharing to reduce ambiguity. If physicians are unsure about the authenticity of the requestor, it is reasonable to verify their identity by calling the requesting emergency department back at the listed telephone number and asking to speak to the physician requestor.