My Mother was recently diagnosed w/lymphoma cancer. My sister and I want to discuss the results of an x-ray with her oncologist. The office is refusing to discuss any of the information with us due to HIPAA laws. We have a release of information that my Mother has signed. Is this sufficient? Is the Oncologist office being unreasonable. saying they will ONLY discuss it with my Mother.

So have your mother sign THEIR form granting the office permission to talk to you.

I don't know how HIPAA reads BUT when my late husband was very ill every Doctor had its own HIPAA form.

Hipaa.org

Was your consent form signed in front of someone from the doctor's office? Or was it notarized? If not, they have only your word that your mother signed it.

They may require their own forms signed in front of them, or their form that is signed in front of a notary, or a POA allowing you access to the records.

Also a release of information is not a discussion with the doctor, there may be charges for a consultation and to discuss it, they may want the discussion in front of the patient, Getting copies of files is not the same as talking about treatment with the doctor. HIPAA tells the doctor when they can't give it out, it does not tell them when they have to, each doctor can be more restrictive on who they give info out to.

They may require their own forms signed in front of them, or their form that is signed in front of a notary, or a POA allowing you access to the records.

Also a release of information is not a discussion with the doctor, there may be charges for a consultation and to discuss it, they may want the discussion in front of the patient, Getting copies of files is not the same as talking about treatment with the doctor. HIPAA tells the doctor when they can't give it out, it does not tell them when they have to, each doctor can be more restrictive on who they give info out to.