Patient Conditions

All media inquiries regarding patient condition must contain the patient’s full name. Law enforcement agencies, not the hospital, release names.

Provided you have the patient's full name, the following is information we can release without consent of the patient:

• Confirmation that the patient is or was hospitalized
• Admission and discharge dates
• Verification of name
• Gender
• City

By law, no specifics can be given about the nature of a patient’s injuries or condition, and no prognosis can be given. We will, however, provide a one-word condition report based upon the categories listed below:

Unavailable: Patient is awaiting physician assessment.

Good: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.

Fair: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious, but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.

Serious: Vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. Indicators are questionable.

Critical: Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.

Unconscious: The hospital may release information that the patient was unconscious when brought to the hospital.

Dead: The death of a patient is presumed to be a matter of public record and may be reported by the hospital after the next-of-kin has been notified or after a reasonable time has passed. Information regarding the cause of death must come from a patient’s physician and its release must be approved by a member of the immediate family (when available).

We do not report a condition as “stable,” and it should not be used in combination with the above condition reports. By definition, the conditions above indicate the stability of a patient.