Student Health and Counseling Services recognizes its responsibility to protect and respect the rights of those seeking services and information.

Forms

Release of information
Minor Consent
Informed consent

Parents

The SCHC understands that you may worry about your student’s health and well-being, and we encourage you to have an open relationship with your student when it comes to their healthcare. It is helpful for your student to know their personal health history, such as allergies to food or medications, and your family history. However, as health care providers, we must follow FERPA, HIPAA, and Patient’s Rights guidelines. This means SCHC is unable to discuss any information regarding your son or daughter, if they are 18 years or older, without their written authorization for release of medical information.

We ask you to please refer to the HIPAA and Privacy Guidelines listed under the Forms tab, to the left of this page, for any clarification on this matter. However, feel free to contact us if you have general questions or if you have information to share with us regarding your child.

HIPAA and FERPA Information

FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of students’ “education records.” Under FERPA, “education records” are very broadly defined as records that are directly related to a student and are kept by an educational agency or institution, or someone acting for the agency or institution. 

Under FERPA, the records maintained by the Student Center for Health & Counseling are either “treatment records” or “education records.”   The majority of records maintained at the Student Center for Health & Counseling are considered to be “treatment records” under FERPA, including the records created by your healthcare provider while providing you with care. “Treatment records” are records that are made or maintained by a health care professional; are used only for your medical treatment; and are only available to treatment providers.

The Student Center for Health & Counseling uses your treatment records to provide you with healthcare services.  We may disclose your records to other healthcare providers who are also providing you with treatment without your consent.  In general, however, we will ask you to sign a written consent form before we provide your information to another healthcare provider that is outside of this facility.  If there is an emergency situation, we may provide this information to other providers for your treatment without having you sign a written consent.

Under most circumstances, you will need to sign a written consent before we disclose your treatment records, but the FERPA regulations also list some circumstances under which your records may be disclosed without your prior written consent. In the following circumstances, as permitted by FERPA regulations, we may disclose your records without your written consent:  (a) to comply with a judicial order or lawful subpoena; (b) disclosure to the court in connection with a legal proceeding involving the University and you or your parents; and (c) disclosure in connection with a health or safety emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health and safety of you or other persons. The FERPA regulations also list other situations in which we may disclose your records without your prior written consent.

Yes, you may make a written request to see your treatment records.  We may provide you with copies of the records or arrange for a healthcare provider to be with you when you review them in order to explain the records and/or answer your questions.  However, when your treatment records are disclosed to you in this manner, they are considered education records (and no longer treatment records) and are covered by FERPA regulations governing education records. 

The Student Center for Health & Counseling is covered by both FERPA and HIPAA regulations. Federal regulations now make clear that Education Records and Treatment Records are excluded from coverage under the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Accordingly, the FERPA regulations prescribe the federal rules that the Student Center for Health & Counseling must follow in protecting the privacy of a student’s medical and mental health records. If you receive health care from an outside provider or hospital, then the HIPAA regulations will apply to the records maintained by those facilities. Of course, the Student Center for Health & Counseling also complies with any applicable state laws and Bemidji State University policies regarding the privacy and confidentiality of healthcare records.

You may contact our privacy officer by emailing holly.bannor@bemidjistate.edu.

Patient Rights and Responsibilities

Your Rights Include:

  • The right to be treated with respect, consideration, and dignity regardless of your race, age, beliefs, sex, and/or lifestyle.
  • The right to receive an explanation of your diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms you can understand.
  • The right to receive the necessary information to participate on decisions about your care and to give you informed consent before any diagnostic or therapeutic procedure is performed.
  • The right to refuse treatment, except as prohibited by law, and to be informed of the consequences of making this decision, 
  • The right to expect that your personal privacy will be respected by all staff
    at the Student for Health and Counseling (SCHC).
  • The right to confidentiality as outlined in the Notice of Privacy Practices.
  • The right to know the names and titles of members of your care team.
  • The right to full explanation of any research or experimental procedure proposed for treatment and the opportunity to give your informed consent before any procedure will begin.
  • The right to ask and receive an explanation of any charges that may be made by SCHC even though they may be covered by insurance.
  • The right to obtain another medical opinion prior to any procedure or treatment.
  • The right to review any medical records created and maintained by SCHC regarding your care and treatment.

Your Responsibilities Include:

  • Providing accurate, honest, and complete information concerning your present and past health history to your health care provider.
  • Asking questions if you do not understand the explanation of your diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, or any instructions.
  • If unable to attend your scheduled appointment, you are asked to cancel your appointment with a 24-hour notice. Cancellations can be done in person, via the patient portal, or by calling SCHC and speaking with a staff person.
  • Communicating with faculty in order to make up missed class work.
  • Payment of any fees billed to you.
  • Following Student Policies as outlined on SCHC website.
  • Payment of Health Services fee for each enrolled semester to be eligible for services.
  • Honoring the terms of equipment loans and other special arrangements that you make with SCHC.
  • Completing the Satisfaction Survey to provide SCHC with feedback of your
    experience at SCHC.

Complaints

If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated or if you are dissatisfied with our privacy policies or procedures, you may file a complaint. The Student Center for Health & Counseling will not take any action against you or change our treatment of you in any way if you file a complaint. Please contact Holly Bannor at holly.bannor@bemidjistate.edu.