Parental consent generally is required to provide medical care to minors (less than 18 years of age). Minors may consent to care in certain situations. For example, a minor may consent to testing and treatment for venereal disease. When responsible for making decisions about their child’s care, parents normally are entitled to have access to their child’s health care information.
PAMED has prepared general legal information to help you understand:
- Basic principles for consent and confidentiality for minors
- Pennsylvania’s statutory exceptions to parental consent
This legal brief also includes a model Medical Consent Authorization (allows a non-parent to consent) and links to additional resources.