Medical Confidentiality

All OM activities and services provided to employees and supervisors follow medical confidentiality requirements established by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in their code of Ethical Conduct. Communications with managers may include issues which relate to job limitations, work restrictions, absence, fitness for duty, disability or other general information but will not include personal medical information.

Employee medical records are accessed by OMC staff only, all of whom sign confidentiality agreements and undergo training regarding their obligations to employee medical privacy and confidentiality. EAP services have special confidentiality policies and procedures as well.

Workers’ Compensation procedures require transfer of information on a need-to-know basis, and employees are advised of this in connection with Workers’ Compensation cases. This includes copies of the record pertaining to the Workers’ Compensation case and in certain situations, information regarding a pre-existing medical condition and/or prior disabling injury. Information is only released with employee authorization.

Copies of OMC medical records are not released to third parties without written employee consent, and are not provided to other employers or insurers.  Exceptions include copies which are provided in response to legal subpoena or court order.

The OMC Medical Records Administrator is the OMC subject matter expert with regard to confidentiality of medical records.  The OMC Manager is responsible for the confidentiality of all OMC programmatic elements, including the Clinic, the Clinical Laboratory and EAP services, and the information technology tools which manage OMC schedules, data, and information.

What information will go back to my supervisor and department or division after my exam?

Individuals with questions or concerns about medical confidentiality in the workplace may contact the OMC Manager.

Last Modified: April 29, 2008
Please forward all questions about this site to: Joseph Falco

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

Privacy and Security Notice  | Contact Web Services for help