Hospital requiring employee health records

[dahlvilla]

Greetings all. I have been offered a position in a hospital in the DC Metro area. I have my employee health appointment tomorrow. Included in this packet of required documents is an authorization form which would allow my employer's employee health department to contact my primary care physican and have access to all current and past medical records. I have worked in other hospitals and not had to do this. I have always had to go through the pre-employment health assessment and such but have never been required to give permission for access to my medical records. Is this now the standard for employment for nurses? Is this common and I just haven't heard about it yet? Or is this beyond what most hospitals ask for?

To be clear, I do understand why they would request this information, I'm just uncertain as to how I feel about it.

Thank you all for your replies. Have a great week.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I would NOT like that. I've never been asked to do that.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I've never had to do anything more than a pre-employment physical and urine tox screen.

Seems like asking for unrelated medical records is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I would be inclined to not sign that form and see what happens - is it REQUIRED, or just something that they ask for?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Included in this packet of required documents is an authorization form which would allow my employer's employee health department to contact my primary care physican and have access to all current and past medical records.

You do not have to sign the document as it is, you can alter it by crossing off "all current and past medical records" and writing only medical records relevant to employment, sign where you altered it and sign on the signature line of the document.