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

Specialties Emergency

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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

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

That's hilarious, ThrowEdNurse. When you do something 2000 times (call a pt name) you're bound to have a brainfart in there somewhere. We used to do that in the giant outpatient clinic, which tended to be very quiet just as the nurse loudly said something completely stupid. :)

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.

Another thing that has to be sanitized. I can see giving it to a patient who needs stitches and blood gets on it or some other body fluid. I wish I thought of sani-wipes

2 funny...we call out pt names and i even hear others in our office speak of other pt's info and hx in front of other pt's....wow....right??? yep i thought so too....i feel like i am at the gossip beauty shop at times....

Hi Theresa,

I have studied HIPAA, as a person that works in the Pharmaceutical Business, fully trained and qualified as an internal auditor, and the calling of full names or last names in a waiting room is a violation of HIPAA rights. Consider this example: Two people are competing for a job in the near future, and the employer finds out that one of the candidates has cancer. Whom do you think the employer will hire, if a person tells the employer that they know the other candidate has cancer? The emloyer wishing to cut health benefit costs, will hire the candidate with NO cancer. This is not fair, but totally illegal to disclose another patient's information at the plac where they may work in the future, or currently work. How are these people supposed to take care of themselves? Social Security? A lawyer could win the case of HIPAA violated rights on this one.

Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
I worked in a clinic type setting and we also called out the patients name in the waiting area. And as a patient, they have always used names in any doctor's office I have been to. I am curious to know the same. Also, are sign in sheets a HIPPA violation? I have been to doctor's offices where you have to sign in your full name with the doctor you are seeing, and they don't cover up the previous names. Where I work now in a hospital, we have a visitors log with patients names in it.

I have always hated sign-in sheets. For one thing, it is a huge opportunity to spread germs.

Second, the front-end staff needs to stop surfing on the internet for a few minutes and write the name down theirself.

I also love it when I schedule an appointment for something highly personal and TELL them when I schedule it, why I need to be seen.

Then the gatekeeper asks me the same question.

I always say, "I told the person that set the appointment why I am here, I would like to request that you refer to that considering there is a line of people standing behind me".

First Names only

Specializes in ICU, CCU.

Hello All:

What about the other pts sitting in the waiting area? Suppose one of them writes down your full name, after the doc's office staff has called it out nice and loud, they go home and google your name? Just think of all the "Private" info available on the Internet for a skilled researcher to gain access to.

Regards,

L4T

Specializes in ER, Addictions, Geriatrics.

We had a patient come into emerg a while ago that wished to be tested for an STI, but didn't want their name in the system so after getting the health card info and triage complaint, enters the patient name as anonymous. All was well until we had to call the patient from the waiting room back to the exam room. I feel like the patient was more embarrassed at the nurse yelling out "Anonymous patient" in a full waiting room than they would have been just having their name called. It was really quite silly.

Specializes in ED.

So what do you do when two patients with same last name or first name check in?? I'm in triage frequently. But my ER is so short staffed that when no one is in triage , I am starting IVs, drawing blood, helping with central line placements, etc. I don't always have a chance to see who is who. I try to just call first names but it is not always practical.

Specializes in ICU, CCU.

jthomp4492:

Thank you for posting that! I tried to tell the radiology dept they couldn't yell out my full name when calling me for my procedure. Got into a big dispute over it. Mentioned it to the hospital admin but I'm sure nothing will change. If making benign comments to someone about a person that can eventually "identify" who you are talking about is a violation with no "name" used, why would calling out their entire name be OK?

L4T

Specializes in ER, Addictions, Geriatrics.
jthomp4492:

Thank you for posting that! I tried to tell the radiology dept they couldn't yell out my full name when calling me for my procedure. Got into a big dispute over it. Mentioned it to the hospital admin but I'm sure nothing will change. If making benign comments to someone about a person that can eventually "identify" who you are talking about is a violation with no "name" used, why would calling out their entire name be OK?

L4T

Why did it bother you though? Did they also call out what procedure you were having done any why? I think that it's a bit excessive to go to hospital admin for this.

Totally unrelated, but I love when you call out a name.. Say 'Eziekiel' and 4 pts wander up to the window and say 'Did you just call john?' Lolol

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