Kco,I don't mind you be so blunt,since you ask me what the world I am talking I have to respons.I gave the same answer as you did it is no for the employer but for the doctor part you jump the conclusion to fast.This not debating it is lay down the facts;first you don't know what kind of illness she has if she is suffering from a form of new virus infections which we humen being has no immunity to it if she work with a lot of peoples if this virus spread to other peoples will wipe out of whole world of population .What do you think her doctor should do?Tell her employer to stop her to work and report to health dept to isolate her? Is this violation of hipaa?I am not a law people I am a first line health care people every day face this problems.Did her doctor can use the thread to public safety and public health exemption? You tell me.Thanks.

No, again her doctor could not tell her employer without her consent. Reporting one of the very limited infections diseases to the dept of health as a part of required reporting does not violate HIPAA. Her doctor meets the obligation of protecting public health (as you put it) by reporting to the dept of health. He still cannot report to her employer, and if there is a concern that she is carring some new, wildly imagines virus, the health department would issue any alerts and make appropriate notifications. Her doctor certainly is not free to call her employer or anyone else and tell them that she may be contagious. That is the responsiblitity and mission of the dept of public health, not an individual physician. And I HAVE worked in the "front lines" of health care as you call them. I did as as a epidemiology student during college, while interning at a dept. of public health in Virginia.

Why are you fabricating situations that are not subject to HIPAA and have nothing to do with the OP's question? For the third time, this is not relevant to this question. If you wish to continue arguing, PLEASE DO SO IN THE MEMBER FORUMS(Try member discussions). This thread is not appropriate to further continue this discussion.

The OP has the information they need, can an admin close this thread?

Thead closed.

We are to respond to the OP question, not steal the thread and try to make up all sorts of what if's

I'm going to add one more thing here to dccss,

I'm sorry your question went off on a tangent. Unfortunately, we have some members who don't understand the standards of this site and give poor advice.

If you need any further help you can PM me to reopen the thread or start a new question.