Since our inception, JMFF has worked to support HIPAA reform and enhanced legislation that seeks to protect and treat individuals afflicted with Substance Use Disorder. JMFF believes that incarceration and criminalization of users is not productive; treatment saves lives.
HIPAA laws, as they stood, severely limit a medical or therapeutic professional’s ability to share potentially lifesaving information; information that could help parents and other family members intervene and implement lifesaving measures. Complicating matters further, is the reality that most care providers are not fully aware of what information they can and cannot provide in various circumstances, and fear legal prosecution under HIPAA. The result is a dangerous lack of shared information between providers and families.
Consider the daily occurrence of a young adult child being in therapy and in need of outside intervention, yet the current provider withholds information due to misunderstanding of HIPAA provisions that, thanks, in part, to JMFF’s lobbying, now allow for open lines of communication when risk of harm is deemed imminent or likely.
Jordan Filler lost his life for many reasons; chief among them were his provider’s failure to notify the Filler family of Jordan’s severe risk of harm, his departure from rehab, his heroin relapse, overdose and emergency room visit just a few weeks before his ultimate death. Had the Fillers been notified of any of these occurrences, action would have been taken, and Jordan’s life may have been saved.
On June 4, 2017, the legislative bill that Mark Filler helped craft and support, the “Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, H.R. 2646 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives! One of the key provisions of this bill specifically addresses our concerns. The U.S. Senate introduced a similar bill.
According to the bill’s primary sponsors, a primary goal is to “Empower Parents and Caregivers. Break down barriers for families to work with doctors and mental health professionals and be meaningful partners in the front-line care delivery team.” They add: “we need to solve the precarious legal standing of health care providers who choose to disclose medical information to family members and others. The current state of HIPAA leads healthcare providers to the default position of “not” disclosing to family, who are left in a no man’s land of helplessness.”
JMFF continues to advocate for local, state and national laws that will protect our youth and individuals suffering the disease of substance use. We will continue to advocate for treatment and prevention, and we will make a difference.
Jordan Filler’s provider failed to notify his family of Jordan’s severe risk of harm, his departure from rehab, his heroin relapse, overdose and emergency room visit just a few weeks before his ultimate death. Had his family been notified of any of these occurrences, action would have been taken and Jordan’s life may have been saved.
On June 4, 2017, with the help of Mark Filler, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, H.R. 2646 legislative bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives! One of the key provisions of this bill specifically addressed our concerns. The U.S. Senate then introduced a similar bill.
According to the bill’s primary sponsors, a primary goal is to “Empower Parents and Caregivers. Break down barriers for families to work with doctors and mental health professionals and be meaningful partners in the front-line care delivery team.” They add: “we need to solve the precarious legal standing of health care providers who choose to disclose medical information to family members and others. The current state of HIPAA leads healthcare providers to the default position of “not” disclosing to family, who are left in a no man’s land of helplessness.”
JMFF continues to advocate for local, state and national laws that will protect our youth and individuals suffering the disease of substance use. We will continue to advocate for treatment and prevention, and we will make a difference.
Copyright © 2024 Jordan Michael Filler Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy About Substance Use Disorder
info@jordanfiller.org | (847) 345-6999
The Jordan Michael Filler Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 organization in Highland Park, IL. All donations are tax deductible.
THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. The information contained on this website is not intended to be a substitute for, or to be relied upon as, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
This website is for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.