Sick To Death Of Hippa!

NurseBoricua · May 19, 2003

I agree...it is getting way out of hand

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · May 19, 2003

...everybody's scared of the $25,000 FEDERAL fines which can be imposed on the institution and yes, imposed upon US individually also....

1savvydiva · May 20, 2003

Originally posted by cyberkat
I wonder how many trees HIPPA has killed already?

My sentiments exactly!!! When environmental services come around at around 5am to clean my ER lobby, he brings me AT LEAST 30 10-page 'booklets' of the "Notice of Privacy Practices". Most of our patients don't care anyway! If they were so concerned about frickin HIPPA, maybe they should reconstruct our ER, people can hear every damn thing I say to a patient...not to mention when people SEE you have a patient sitting in front of you and they walk up and say, "I just have a quick question!" :rolleyes: "Yeah, dummy...I just have a patient...go sit down."

OH....this burns me, like my favorite ER doc said (when I was informing him of a new procedure for calling back patients), "You know what...SCREW HIPPA...everything is a frickin' HIPPA violation these days!"

*edited* I have another rant. EMS has to get HIPPA forms signed as well. DID you know that they aren't supposed to give it to us? (For those who don't know, I am ER registration), okay so if we have a patient coding and obviously unable to speak, they are not supposed to give me their demographic info so that I can put them in the system. Most of them are like, "Well, I am not supposed to give this to you, but I am going to leave my chart right here and go get some water right quick, ;)"

This is getting out of control, not only is it jeopardizing patient/family care, it is dehumanizing the patient as well. Patients already complain that they are 'just another patient' to the doctor/facility, now you are just a number for real!

In my ER (and I am the only Reg. Rep on third shift), they are supposed to be implementing the pager system. This is to avoid us calling the patients name in the lobby. OKAY maybe it's just me...but the lobby is not that big, if someone KNOWS me, and they see me sitting in the ER, what confidentiality is that breaching by saying my name? If they know me, wouldn't they know my name? Second, evidently, once that patient gets called to a room in the back, they turn the pager in. Okay, so when that patient is ready to receive visitors after the initial assessment...won't the nurse come to the door and say, "Family of Mr. Smith?" THIRD, when we get an EMS patient, they told us that the FAMILY of that patient is not to receive a pager, WTH? So there again, wouldn't the nurse come to the lobby and say "Is there any family with Mr. Jones?" Oh...OOPS...HIPPA violation!!! FOURTH, what about these rooms with curtains? You can hear EVERYthing that's going on...OOPS...HIPPA violation! :rolleyes:

WHEN will it end?

RN2007 · May 20, 2003

Right on! I have also been stunned to hear the receptionist still sit out front and in hearing distance say something, ex- " Mr. Joe, you are her for your Pro Time, right? Also, the pharmacy I go to is not that confidential with their info because most of the times I go, many customers are standing around waiting to drop off, pick up and/or talk with them, and of course sometimes the pharmacist or tech there needs to ask you a question about your meds, and you are not in private, ya know? If I needed to ask a question in private about my meds, I would just have to call the pharmacist because the layout of the most pharmacies with waiting customers just does not cut it.

shelleybelle · May 20, 2003

I know in our local nursing homes the residents cannot even be called by their names outside of their room (dining room, day room, hallway if they're about to run into someone, etc.) This is their HOME... and you're suppose to call them "hey you" :confused:

lsyorke, RN · May 20, 2003

What amazes me is while in healthcare confidentiality is held so dear, but anything that you send to the state government is open for all to see because of OPRA and the freedom of information act. ie my name address and license number on a website! If you file a complaint to the state the person or agency you filed it with has the right to your name and information.

RNIAM, BSN, RN · May 20, 2003

Call them; hey you? that is completely nuts! I wrote to Mr. Mcnulty. I let him know just what I thought of HIPPA! It needs to go. It is yet another waste of the RN's valuable time. Please let the gov know you have better things to do with your working hours, for example pt care!

dixiemccall · May 20, 2003

HIPAA is way out of hand, I agree. Not sure of who you can tell what anymore.

And not be able to call resisdents by their names? That is just dehumanizing. And nursing homes are already dehumanizing institutions as it is, now even more so. Dogs at the pound get more respect nowadays than our elderly in the nursing homes.

P_RN, ADN, RN · May 20, 2003

I just got my newsletter from NSO and in it they say a lot of this is pure hype.

http://www.nso.com/newsletters/advisor/2003_Spring/rn.php

It's way down on page 5 and worth reading.

ktwlpn, LPN · May 20, 2003

Originally posted by Dayray
Hippa is ridiculous.
I can't even comprehend why patients would want this level of privacy. I can see why people wouldn't want others to know about pregnancy or STD's but appendectomy? Come on who cares?

I actually had a post-op appendectomy who had a falling out with his family a few years prior.Someone in or around the hospital (who knows? Could have been a visitor-a nurse-or even housekeeping)- called his parents and informed him that he was there...In they come-a shouting match ensued between he,his wife and his parents...He rips out his IV and is going AMA just to get out of the room-the wife is screaming bloody murder at the parents...Security enters and escorts this elderly couple out...The whole unit was in an uproar for hours-many of us were questioned-including me- because I am a former co-worker of the wife and we live in the same town....Never did find out who the culprit was and it blew over-but several of us were threatened with loosing our jobs.I can understand the desire for privacy and even anonymity but how do we prevent visitors from violating someone's privavcy?Or prove that they have done so?..I hope my administration at the LTC stands up to this and does NOT remove the residents names from their doors---I have my last name on my mail box...many people do....

RNIAM, BSN, RN · May 20, 2003

I read the article and still stand by my take on HIPPA . I see more obvious leaks of private information due to locations of nurses stations, to location of reception desks and so on. Unless you make sounds proof rooms HIPPA does not address the issue it was meant to address. What it does is make it more difficult to nurse.

On a personal note I find it a pain to have to agree to the transfer of medical records everytime you have a test done. In the past two weeks I have had two seperate tests done at the same facility and both times I had to sign a waver. It is a pain

oramar · May 20, 2003

One big problem is thin walls in doctors offices and semi private rooms. I have heard things through the walls of doctors offices that would curl you hair. Once I heard doctor discussing waving a fee with a desperate mother who had three sick kids and no money. I recognized the mothers voice, it was the voice of my husband's cousin. She would have died if she knew anyone in the family overheard that conversation. I always pretended I did not hear and never said anything to anyone. Also, when I was in the hospital my roommate and myself heard everything about each other's conditions. We did not mind but I bet somepeople would.