Minor Consent Information
Minors’ Right to Consent for Healthcare Services
Colorado has state laws that permit minors (children under the age of 18) to consent to certain types of healthcare services. These laws also require that all healthcare providers treat these services confidentially, with limited exceptions.
To comply with these state laws, as well as federal and state confidentiality laws, Tepeyac Community Health Center deactivates all portal accounts for parents/guardians that provide access to minor patients’ healthcare information.
What Services May Minors Consent to Without Parental Involvement?
Colorado allows minor patients to consent for the following services, depending on the patient’s age:
Birth control information and contraceptives
Pregnancy testing, prenatal care, and pregnancy services
Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
Substance abuse treatment
Outpatient mental health counseling/psychotherapy (Age 12+)
Inpatient mental health treatment (Age 15+)
I’m a Parent of a Minor – What Does This Mean for Me?
Tepeyac encourages parental involvement in their child’s healthcare and respects a parent’s authority to make healthcare decisions for their child. To the extent possible, parents will be involved in child’s healthcare and may continue to access information about their child’s healthcare. However, state laws grant minors the right to consent to some healthcare services, as listed above.
These laws also require healthcare providers to treat these services confidentially. Therefore, if your child consents to one of the above services on their own, to comply with state law, Tepeyac will not be able to share information with you regarding those visits.
To simplify Tepeyac’s ability to comply with these laws, Tepeyac deactivates portal accounts and text reminders for all parents and guardians that provide access to minor patient’s healthcare information. Parents will still be able to access billing information when they are for paying for services. In addition, parents will continue to have access to their child’s healthcare information for non-confidential services by contacting Tepeyac and requesting those records.
Turning off access to portal accounts and text reminders applies to all patients ages 12 through 17 and does not mean that a child has received healthcare services without parental knowledge.
I’m Under 18 – What Does This Mean for Me?
When you’re under 18 years’ old, there are certain services you may consent to without parental involvement (see “What types of services may a minor consent to?” above).
When minors see a Tepeyac provider for these types of services, we will take steps to ensure the confidentiality of those visits by limiting patient portal account access and not sharing information about those visits with anyone else, unless you give us permission.
Please talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about what information can be confidential.