HIPAA when not involved in care but is family

[Sunflower2019]

Okay, this may sound silly, but I am a little bit paranoid about HIPAA and privacy law. I prefer to err on the side of caution when in doubt about privacy issues. That said, I have recently had a situation that made me wonder:

My Family Member X is in the hospital. I get a text from Family Member Y saying that X is in the hospital. Y generally functions as the family point of contact. Family Member Z texts me to ask how X is; is it okay for me to tell Z what Y said, presuming Y said it's fine? Note that I am only a family member here, not in any way involved professionally in care.

Are we held to a higher standard of some kind when it comes to sharing about family or friends if we are ONLY family/friends (not involved in care in any way)?

[JKL33]

HIPAA has nothing to do with your involvement in this situation as a family member. ?

HIPAA is the concern of "covered entities." In your capacity as a family member who is not professionally involved in the provision of care to Family Member X, you are neither a covered entity nor acting as the agent or employee or associate or business partner of a covered entity. It just doesn't apply to non-professional interactions between family members even if some of them happen to be healthcare providers (who are not professionally involved in the care).

Good taste and getting permission to share others' personal information are always a good idea anyway though. ?

Hope your family member is better soon.