NotUrsula
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2002
WHAT?? Where are you? We're required to offer privacy to the patient when THEIR OWN guests are in the room. And there are no patient names posted ANYWHERE in public viewing...
I'm amazed how different HIPAA is treated in different hospitals.
A 500-bed regional medical center in the midwest, a teaching hospital for one of the top 15 US medical schools. According to HHS , putting patient's names on doors is still perfectly fine.
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/faq/safeguards/202.htmlA hospital customarily displays patients' names next to the door of the hospital rooms that they occupy. Will the HIPAA Privacy Rule allow the hospital to continue this practice?
Answer:
The Privacy Rule explicitly permits certain incidental disclosures that occur as a by-product of an otherwise permitted disclosure—for example, the disclosure to other patients in a waiting room of the identity of the person whose name is called. In this case, disclosure of patient names by posting on the wall is permitted by the Privacy Rule, if the use or disclosure is for treatment (for example, to ensure that patient care is provided to the correct individual) or health care operations purposes (for example, as a service for patients and their families). The disclosure of such information to other persons (such as other visitors) that will likely also occur due to the posting is an incidental disclosure.
Incidental disclosures are permitted only to the extent that the covered entity has applied reasonable and appropriate safeguards and implemented the minimum necessary standard, where appropriate.See our section on Incidental Uses and Disclosures. In this case, it would appear that the disclosure of names is the minimum necessary for the purposes of the permitted uses or disclosures described above, and there do not appear to be additional safeguards that would be reasonable to take in these circumstances. However, each covered entity must evaluate what measures are reasonable and appropriate in its environment.Covered entitiesmay tailor measures to their particular circumstances.