Do you cut off Name Band?

[nkochrn, RN]

We had a patient recently who cut their own name band off in the parking lot and then threw it on the ground. According to our hospital it was a HIPPA violation and we got in trouble for it. We are now supposed to cut all name bands off of discharged patients before they leave. I don't know why but I always thought you weren't supposed to take the name band off of any patient.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

So is it a HIPAA violation if a hospital bill ends up outside the hospital, for example, in the trash? After all, it does have the patient's name on it. Perhaps we need to stop mailing those out!

[nkochrn, RN]

I sure wish they'd stop mailing them to me;) LOL

[mamamerlee, LPN]

It gets ridiculous at times. Have you noticed the signs over the trash cans out side of pharmacies? They ask the public to not throw away the bags with their info on them, lest the pharmacy be held responsible for HIPAA violations.

I think someone should be stationed at the door cutting off the bands and stuffing them in a special container!

[mn_nurse]

I think someone should be stationed at the door cutting off the bands and stuffing them in a special container!

Haha.. I like the idea of the HIPAA police at the door. Each patient that is dismissed from my hospital must have his/her name band removed and placed in the shredder box.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Our discharge paperwork has all the same info on it that the ID band has. So we'd have to take away their d/c papers too. :)

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

Our discharge paperwork has all the same info on it that the ID band has. So we'd have to take away their d/c papers too. :)

Same here. I don't cut off the band unless they ask me to, and they are literally on their way out the door.

[AuntieRN]

We are also supposed to cut the bands off as they are on the way out of the door. They say its because if something happens on the way home and they end up at our mother hospital or back here someone might forget to put a new name band on them and use the old one...ummm ok...new band or old isnt their name and dob gonna be the same???

[tatara]

It gets ridiculous at times. Have you noticed the signs over the trash cans out side of pharmacies? They ask the public to not throw away the bags with their info on them, lest the pharmacy be held responsible for HIPAA violations.

I think someone should be stationed at the door cutting off the bands and stuffing them in a special container!

The most senoir Security Guard stationed by the exit door is the one responsible for cutting off the wrist bands of patients on discharge from our hospital. Along with that responsibility is to check the duly signed discharge notification from the accounting office and the home istruction form from their attending MD's.

[tewdles, RN]

ridiculous rules in a ridiculous time.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

You know having an image of a patient's face posted somewhere is a HIPAA violation, so probably best to make patients leave the hospital with paper bags over their heads so they're unidentifiable. Same applies if they're ambulating in halls while inpatient.

[mamamerlee, LPN]

hahaha!!! Let's give everyone their choice of Halloween masks to use when they are out of their rooms! In a wheelchair to Xray, on a gurney to the OR!!!

How far can we take this?!!