CFR > Title 42 - Public Health > CHAPTER I—PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES > SUBCHAPTER A—GENERAL PROVISIONS (parts 1 to 9) > PART 2—CONFIDENTIALITY OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE PATIENT RECORDS > SUBPART D—Disclosures Without Patient Consent (§2.51 to §2.53) > 2.51—Medical emergencies.

2.51—Medical emergencies.

(a) General Rule. Under the procedures required by paragraph (c) of this section, patient identifying information may be disclosed to medical personnel who have a need for information about a patient for the purpose of treating a condition which poses an immediate threat to the health of any individual and which requires immediate medical intervention.
(b) Special Rule. Patient identifying information may be disclosed to medical personnel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who assert a reason to believe that the health of any individual may be threatened by an error in the manufacture, labeling, or sale of a product under FDA jurisdiction, and that the information will be used for the exclusive purpose of notifying patients or their physicians of potential dangers.
(c) Procedures. Immediately following disclosure, the program shall document the disclosure in the patient's records, setting forth in writing:
(1) The name of the medical personnel to whom disclosure was made and their affiliation with any health care facility;
(2) The name of the individual making the disclosure;
(3) The date and time of the disclosure; and
(4) The nature of the emergency (or error, if the report was to FDA).
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0930-0099)