Privacy, Records Release & Authorization | Allied Healthcare Sciences

Records release and authorization

Our default answer is no. Allied Healthcare Sciences does not release student records, learning records, competency records, health information, or any personally identifying information to any outside person or organization unless the individual has signed a valid authorization, or unless a law compels the disclosure. Silence, a verbal request, a phone call, a family relationship, or an employer's interest is not authorization.

ALDHS operates as an education and training center, and its students train in environments where protected patient information is present. Both categories of information are treated as closely held. Program completion records, competency ledgers, assessment results, attendance, disciplinary records, financial records, health or immunization documents, accommodation records, and background-check materials are all treated as protected records subject to this section.

What we will not do

We do not sell, rent, trade, or license personal information, records, or contact lists.
We do not confirm or deny enrollment, attendance, progress, grades, discipline, or health information to a caller, relative, spouse, partner, employer, recruiter, or clinical site without a signed authorization on file.
We do not release protected patient information from a clinical training environment to anyone. That information belongs to the treating facility, not to ALDHS or to a student.
We do not accept a blank, undated, unsigned, altered, expired, or open-ended release, and we do not honor an authorization that fails to identify the recipient and the records.
We do not use a student's records as a marketing testimonial, outcome statistic, or public example in an identifiable form without separate written permission.

What a valid authorization must contain

A release we can act on identifies each of the following in writing. If any element is missing, we return the form and explain what is needed rather than releasing partial information.

The full legal name and date of birth or student identifier of the person whose records are involved.
A specific description of the records to be released — not “my file” or “everything.”
The exact person or organization authorized to receive the records, by name.
The purpose of the disclosure.
An expiration date or expiration event.
A statement of the right to revoke the authorization in writing, and how to do it.
The signature of the individual or of a person with documented legal authority to sign for them, and the date of that signature.

Revocation

An authorization can be revoked in writing at any time. Revocation stops future disclosures. It cannot retrieve a disclosure that already occurred in reliance on the authorization, and it does not affect a record we are separately required by law to retain or report.

Legal instruments we accept

The table below lists the instruments that can authorize a disclosure and what each one does not accomplish on its own. These are examples of the documentation an education and training center or a healthcare facility would require before information about a student or a patient could be given to anyone else. Requirements differ by document type, jurisdiction, and record type.

Instrument	What it can authorize	What we still require
Authorization for release of records Signed by the individual	Disclosure of the specific records named, to the named recipient, for the stated purpose, until the stated expiration	Identity verification, all seven elements above, and a signature that matches our record of the individual
HIPAA-style authorization For health or clinical information held by a covered entity	Disclosure of the described health information by the entity that actually holds it	The authorization must be presented to the facility that holds the record; ALDHS cannot release another provider's chart
Durable power of attorney	An agent to request and receive records on the individual's behalf where the document grants that authority	A complete copy of the instrument, proof it is currently effective, and confirmation that its powers cover records access
Healthcare power of attorney or advance directive	A named healthcare agent to act for the individual, typically when the individual cannot act	The document itself, the triggering condition where applicable, and identification of the agent
Guardianship or conservatorship order	A court-appointed person to act within the scope of the appointment	The current court order and evidence the appointment remains in force
Parent or legal guardian of a minor	Access to a minor's education records, subject to law	Proof of relationship or custody, and recognition that certain minor-consent health records are controlled by the minor under California law
Personal representative or executor of an estate	Records of a deceased individual within the representative's authority	Letters of appointment, death certificate, and confirmation of scope
Subpoena, court order, or warrant	Disclosure required by legal process	Legal review, notice to the individual where permitted, and release limited to what the process actually compels
Written student consent for verification	Confirmation of a completion record, Vitae, or MA-C/A credential to a named employer or credentialing body	Consent naming the recipient; a certificate number alone never opens a full record

This table is descriptive, not legal advice. The controlling requirements come from the applicable federal and California law, the terms of the individual instrument, and any clinical site's own policy. Consult a licensed attorney for advice on a specific document.

How a records request is processed

Every request follows the same procedure, whether it comes from a student, a former student, a family member, an employer, a school, a credentialing organization, or an attorney.

Intake. The request is submitted through My Allied or to the privacy address below and is recorded with the date received.
Identity verification. We confirm who is asking. A requester acting for someone else must document that authority before we discuss the record's existence.
Instrument review. We check the authorization, power of attorney, court order, or other instrument against the requirements above.
Scope limitation. We release only the records the instrument actually covers. Where a document is broader than the need, we disclose the minimum necessary.
Redaction. Information about other individuals, third-party evaluations, and protected patient information is removed before release.
Delivery and logging. The disclosure is delivered through a secure channel and logged with the date, recipient, records released, and authority relied upon. You may request a copy of that log for your own record.
Denial. If we cannot release, we say so in writing and identify the missing element or the legal basis for withholding.

Students keep their own copies. Retaining your enrollment agreement, transcript, competency ledger, verification letters, and any authorization you have signed protects you if an employer, credentialing body, or later school asks years from now.

Patient information and clinical training sites

When learning takes place in a live environment, patient information encountered there is the property and responsibility of that facility as the covered entity. ALDHS does not hold, request, or receive patient charts as training evidence.

Students may not photograph, copy, export, screenshot, message, discuss, or remove protected patient information for any assignment, portfolio, or record.
Competency evidence is documented by identifier, date, setting, and verifying supervisor — never by patient identity.
A patient's information can be released only by that facility, under that facility's process, on the patient's own authorization or an equivalent legal instrument.
Suspected improper disclosure is reported immediately to the site and to ALDHS, and may result in removal from the clinical setting.

How clinical experience is documented →

Who we are

This policy applies to Allied Healthcare Sciences (“ALDHS,” “we,” “us”) and the public website at aldhsciences.org, including content published under ALDHS domains such as Allied Health One (Open Access) and Medical Assisting, and to account services on aldhsciences.online (My Allied) when those services link to this policy.

Effective date: September 14, 2026. We may update this page; the effective date will change when we do.

What we collect

Information you provide: name, email, phone, messages, enrollment or inquiry details, and documents you upload when you contact us or use My Allied.
Account and learning records: sign-in identifiers, course progress, assessments, attendance logs, competency records, and support requests needed to operate the education platform.
Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, and approximate location derived from IP, collected through ordinary web server and analytics tooling.
Cookies and similar technologies: essential cookies for security and sign-in; optional analytics cookies if enabled. You can control cookies in your browser.

We do not sell personal information. We do not exchange your contact details for advertising money.

How we use information

Operate and improve the public site and My Allied
Respond to inquiries and provide student or administrator support
Deliver coursework, assessments, competency records, and certificate verification
Meet legal, safety, and recordkeeping obligations
Protect accounts against misuse and maintain service security

Your choices and California privacy rights

Depending on your relationship with us, you may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information we hold, subject to education-record and legal retention requirements. California residents may also have rights under the CCPA/CPRA regarding access, deletion, and limiting use of sensitive personal information where applicable.

Education records and verification requests for a Curriculum Vitae of Competencies or MA-C/A credential follow the procedure above so we can confirm your identity before anything is released.

To exercise a privacy request, contact us below and describe the request. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Contact

Privacy, records-release, and authorization questions: use My Allied messaging if you are a current student or administrator, or email [email protected]. Ask for the current release form and we will send the version in effect on that date.

Request records through My Allied

This policy is a public statement of current practice. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for an enrollment agreement, the Student Catalog, or the terms of a specific legal instrument. Program-specific retention schedules will appear in the Student Catalog when published.

Nothing about you leaves here without your signature.