Could a Louisiana coroner give towns residents' initials and addresses for fee reimbursement without disclosing privileged medical information?

Plain-English summary

Livingston Parish's coroner asked how to give municipalities enough information to reimburse coroner fees while preserving physician-patient confidentiality. In 2006, the Attorney General said providing the residents' initials and addresses for that purpose was appropriate. The opinion characterized those details as non-diagnostic and said they did not disclose statements, conclusions, or opinions exchanged between a health care provider and patient.

The AG recognized a public-records exception limiting access to privileged health care communications and quoted the definition of “communications” from L.A. R.S. 13:3734. It concluded that the limited identifying information requested did not fall within that privileged relationship and supplied enough information for the municipalities' reimbursement task. The opinion addressed this particular information and purpose, not unrestricted disclosure of coroner or medical records.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 2006. Subsequent statutory amendments, court decisions, or later AG opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context, not current legal advice. Verify current law before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or remedy mentioned here.

Common questions

Could the coroner give municipalities residents' initials and addresses?

The AG said yes for fee reimbursement. It found those details sufficient for the task without revealing diagnostic or treatment communications.

Did the medical-communications exception forbid that limited disclosure?

The AG said no. It contrasted initials and addresses with the protected facts, opinions, statements, and records used to diagnose, treat, or otherwise act for patients.

Did the opinion authorize release of full medical records?

No. The request concerned only initials and addresses, and the AG's answer was limited to that information for municipal fee reimbursement.

Background and statutory framework

The coroner requested guidance on identifying residents in particular municipalities for fee recovery. The AG cited the Public Records Act's exception for privileged health care communications and quoted L.A. R.S. 13:3734's broad definition of those communications. It applied that definition to initials and addresses and concluded that the proposed limited disclosure would preserve patient-physician confidentiality as analyzed in the opinion.

Citations

• L.A. R.S. 44:4.1B(5) (public-records exception cited by the AG).
• L.A. R.S. 13:3734 (health care “communications” definition quoted in the opinion).

Source

• Landing page: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinions
• Original PDF: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinion/Download/05-0340

Original opinion text

January 26, 2006
OPINION NUMBER 05-0340

13 Coroners
Dr. Ron Coe, M.D., Coroner
R.S. 13:3734; 44:1; 44:4.1
Office of the Coroner
Livingston Parish
Providing initials and addresses to municipalities for
140 Aspen Square, Suite E
coroner fee reimbursements does not violate the
privileged communications relationships between
Denham Springs, LA 70726
doctor and patient.

Dear Dr. Coe:

In your letters of August 11, 2005 and October 20, 2005, you requested an opinion of the Attorney General’s Office concerning the scope of your feasibility/ability to provide needed information of residents in particular municipalities for fee reimbursement purposes without compromising patient- physician confidentiality. Specifically, you asked whether providing initials and addresses of these residents would be legal and appropriate.

Although ordinarily, these types of records would be considered public record under the Public Records Act (PRA), Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:1A(2)(a), the PRA provides an exception (L.A. R.S. 44:4.1B(5)) limiting public access to privileged communications between health care providers and patients. L.A. R.S. 13:3734 provides a definition of “communications”:

“Communications” means the acquiring, recording, or transmittal, of any information, in any manner whatsoever, concerning any facts, opinions or statements necessary to enable the health care provider to diagnose, treat, prescribe or to act for the patients; said communications may include, but are not limited to any and all medical records, office records, hospital records, charts, correspondence, memoranda, laboratory tests and results, x-rays, photographs, financial statements, diagnoses and prognoses.

Providing the initials and addresses of certain residents to municipalities would not be a violation of the privileged communication relationship that exists between a physician and patient. This type of information is non-diagnostical,

Page 2

Opinion No. 05-0340
Dr. Ron Coe, Coroner
Office of the Coroner, Livingston Parish
Page: - 2 –

and does not reveal any statements, conclusions, or opinions between the health care provider and the patient.

Therefore, providing the initials and addresses of residents to municipalities is appropriate because it provides essential yet sufficient information required for fee reimbursements, while keeping patient information confidential.

We hope that this opinion answers your inquiry. Please do not hesitate to contact our office should you need further assistance.

Yours very truly,

CHARLES C. FOTI, JR.
ATTORNEY GENERAL

By: _______
CHARLES H. BRAUD, JR.
Assistant Attorney General
CCF, Jr./CHB, Jr./sfj

Page 3

SYLLABUS
OPINION NUMBER 05-0340

13 Coroners

R.S. 13:3734; 44:1; 44:4.1

Providing initials and addresses to municipalities for coroner fee reimbursements does not violate the privileged communications relationships between doctor and patient.

Dr. Ron Coe, M.D., Coroner
Office of the Coroner
Livingston Parish
140 Aspen Square, Suite E
Denham Springs, LA 70726

DATE RECEIVED:

DATE RELEASED: January 26, 2006

Charles H. Braud, Jr.
Assistant Attorney General