Calling out the pts name in the waiting room...HIPAA?

[TeresaEDRN06]

I have a question for you guys. In our ED, when a pt comes in to be seen, they'll fill out a slip and have a seat in our waiting room. The registration person will put them into our system and their name will come up as a new pt. At that time, the triage nurse will see this new pt and call their name into the waiting room for triage. Is this a HIPPA violation? Does anyone do anything different? Thanks in advance for your input!

:nurse:Teresa

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

How are they supposed to do it? Telepathically?

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

No, your just saying the first name. Your not say, "Jane Doe; here to check your genital warts, your exam room is ready"...

Sorry, off topic....

Once, when I was quite young, I was waiting at a hospital pharmacy to pick up my script. The person behind the window called out my name, and the name of the medication and what it was for, in front of a full waiting room. :mad:

[calmcool1]

Yes, I believe it is. I work in PACU and when we are ready for family to come see the patient we call out the patients name. There has to be a more private way to do this.

[elkpark]

The hospitals in my area use the "restaurant-style" pagers, so there's no need to call anyone's name. If a facility didn't want to spend the money on pages, they could use a "deli-style" numerical system, and call people by their assigned number rather than using names.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

At the facility where I work,the ID band comes with a number and the pt. is informed to be listening for that number, however if the pt.is alone and unable to respond for themselves they place the pt. close to the nurse's station. It seems to work for ER

[Larry77, RN]

I call their first names then when they come to the door I ask them their last names...never had a complaint.

[nursel56]

When I go to get a patient from the lobby, I call their first name only.

Now that reminds me of a funny story-- I worked in a Dermatology clinic a while ago, the nurse working with me would regularly call in married couples together(most over 65), ---I guess because they preferred it or were having short, simple things done. . . well. One day, she called in "Frank Anderson" and "Betty Anderson". Their names were right there next to each other! The Andersons! Except, no. They had never laid eyes on each other in their lives, she put them in the little 8' by 8' foot exam room and shut the door!

Doc comes out red-faced describing these two prim elderly people sitting very stiffly trying to avoid eye contact. . .ummmm we have a little problem here. :) Good times.

[stiltarget]

How are they supposed to do it? Telepathically?

:yeah:lmao " I SWEAR I CALLED HER NAME 4 TIMES IN MY HEAD AND SHE STILL DIDNT COME!" oh well her loss...

[sjt9721, BSN, RN]

No, your just saying the first name. Your not say, "Jane Doe; here to check your genital warts, your exam room is ready"...

That's what I was thinking...you'd say, "Jane Doe?" or something like that....as opposed to "Jane Doe with the Burning Crotch"....

It's been my HIPAA understanding that it's not a violation to confirm someone is there (unless they've requested to be a confidential patient). And it makes sense that calling a name in a waiting room is a similar situation.

[AnnyLPC]

Hi Teresa! Fancy meeting you here!

In my office, we could NEVER call out an entire patient name.

The sign in sheet is "first name only" and each name is removed asap.

TTYL,

Anny :heartbeat

[ThrowEdNurse, BSN, RN]

WHOOPS

[ThrowEdNurse, BSN, RN]

We call full names, "even the opt outs." I usually sort who I am calling next for triage by chief complaints. So one time I was going through the list, reading to myself, "sore throat, cough, fever..." I picked my next pt and instead of yelling her name, I yelled, "Abd pain!" I felt bad...and stupid. I had to call her name obviously and it was clear what her complaint was but I goofed and had no way of fixing it. She laughed. Oh, well.