Patient confidentiality is a quality standard all employees at the Health Service are expected to uphold. It is one of our core values. The notice of Patient's Rights and Responsibilities, which is posted in the Health Service waiting room, specifically includes the guarantee of confidentiality as a basic patient right.

Our clinicians are bound by Massachusetts's law not to disclose confidential medical information about a patient without the patient's consent, except to meet a serious danger to the patient or others. This means we will not disclose information about your care or treatment to: Deans, Professors, Coaches, Residential Life, or other University staff unless there is a serious danger to you or someone else. Additionally, we cannot discuss your care with friends, or parents without your consent. We are careful not to talk about patients in hallways or other open areas, where other students might overhear the discussion. Parents may not have access to any medical information about their son or daughter, unless the patient has given permission. Health Service staff may not give parents any information regarding health service charges on their son or daughter's Bursar bill, without the written permission of the student (regardless of whether it is the parent's insurance plan). Our medical records are securely locked every night. Our staff members sign a yearly confidentiality statement, giving us a chance to review this issue regularly.

Please be assured we take patient confidentiality seriously, as our profession and ethics necessitate.

If you have a questions or concern about patient confidentiality, you may contact the Senior Director of Health and Wellness Services, Michelle Bowdler at michelle.bowdler@tufts.edu.

Download a copy of Tufts University Notices of Privacy Practices.