Anyone else think HIPAA rules are getting out of hand?

Nurses HIPAA

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My manager told me yesterday that I can't write the resident's last name on our bowel care sheet. For privacy I have to write a room number. Really? The clipboard we keep behind the nurses station where no one can see it needs HIPAA protection? If people are getting behind the desk and going through our stuff, don't we have bigger problems??

Specializes in LTC and School Health.
Interesting. Our preop area has two large bulletin boards listing patients' last names and preop room number. Apparently this was investigated before initiated and found to be okay as long as we don't list first and last names.

Same where I work. We have patients last names posted on the white board where EVERYONE can see.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

We don't even allow visitors without a family member in our NICU. Believe me, we run into some pretty funky family dynamics and is better to talk with the parents there. Like some one said, if I told you the baby was on acyclovir or AZT, then I would be giving you mom's diagnosis also, which, frankly, isn't anyone's business unless the parent wants you to know. We can give basic info, he's doing okay, he weighs this, his length is that, he is eating well. Just general things. It is the rules and you, as an RN, should know we have to comply by them, no

Matter how stupid they may seem.

Knock knock

Who's there?

HIPAA

HIPAA who?

Sorry, can't tell you.

I worked in an ENT office and we ordered a CT sinus on a new patient. They wanted to use the facility where they worked instead of a local free-standing imaging center. When the pt came back for a follow-up we noticed we still didn't have the results. I called the facility and she told me to fax the request. I wrote out the request for the CT results for pt x and gave our fax number. Several minutes later I called back and asked for the results again. I was told they threw away my first fax. I had to get a SIGNED RELEASE FROM THE PATIENT to get the results sent to us. I reminded them we were the ordering physician and they were supposed to have sent the results either via fax or by the patient and they said they can't give us results without the patient's written permission. I asked what good a CT scan was without the ORDERING DOCTOR knowing what it said! The patient signed the release when I explained the situation and the results followed 15 minutes later. The pt then noted who I had spoken to; he was head of one of the departments in the hospital and agreed it was ridiculous that I had to go through all that when the facility was supposed to send the report as soon as it was done. The ordering physician does NOT need a signed release to get the results of a test.

What do you mean, it's not available online? Of course it is.

[h=3]HIPAA - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services[/h]www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/index.html

I don't think HIPAA is the problem. I think the problem is that many organizations misinterpret the law or exceed the standard in such a way that it negatively impacts patient care and impedes practice. Don't get me wrong; I am a fan of protecting personal health information. I think there should be more training available on interpreting HIPAA for those who make decisions on organizational policy.

Specializes in Medical/Surgical/Maternal and Child.

It's a control issue with alot of flunkies in medical records who think they have the power to decide who can have copies of medical records even though they have the release right in from them from another hospital/clinic/instacare/dr's office.

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