HIPAA Violation? What counts and what doesn't in Nursing School?

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I am currently a senior in the nursing program at my school. A few weeks ago, we went on a 'field trip' to a funeral home to see what happens after some patients take a turn for the worse, and we have to help the grieving family through the next steps. After a general talk, we took a tour into the embalming room, and into the crematorium.

Is this 'field trip' covered by HIPAA? Some of our students are getting in trouble for talking about the details of the trip, and I had thought that HIPAA mainly covered medical records and patient information. None of this was given to us, and no information about any patients was ever said by any of our students. The name of the funeral home wasn't even mentioned.

Would love some input on this one.

--Jordan

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Specializes in CNA.

"Some of our students are getting in trouble for talking about the details of the trip"

The devil is in the details.

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I understand that...it just seems like a funeral home wouldn't be covered by HIPAA, and the details they spilled were not names, or any kind of medical records, or anything that could be related to a person. I guess that's why I'm confused.

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

I doubt this is a HIPAA issue. I've come to realize that "HIPAA" has become the buzzword used by schools and employers to cover THEIR rears and scare employees/students.

The thing is, it is a different privacy issue. If a person knew which funeral home was visited, on what day...well, it would be really easy to figure out whose body was viewed simply by reading the obituaries. Is it a HIPAA violation? No, I don't think so. I don't even think it's illegal, necessarily. But it is disrespectful.

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

Saying your patients at the funeral home "took a turn for the worse" made me smile. :) I really believe the whole HIPAA thing has caused near-hysteria at times and it honestly doesn't make a lot of sense in a good many situations. I try to train myself not to talk or write about anything specific outside the workplace or on FB etc -- keep yourself free from some nasty repercussions that way.

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I think this issue falls to your teachers. I can't imagine how they can possibly expect students, who have possibly never seen a dead person, and probably never been into a funeral home in that way, to NOT talk about it. Come on! If they didn't provide some kind of format to discuss concerns and issues they are to blame. Of all places this is the one to have "post conference."

And as most things end when you die, I suspect the portability of your health insurance does as well. I agree, not a HIPAA issue.

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Thanks for the help, guys. I am not sure if I personally am on the hit list or not, but I am guessing we will find out when I go in for class. If they try to say this is a HIPAA thing, I am going to fight it. It seems like a personal agenda of our new head of nursing. Just feels off. we had our post conference before we went to the funeral home and had no idea that we were going to see what we did. I mean, we're big girls, and alot of us know what goes on behind the scenes, but it was shown to us in a very grusome manner, and didn't seem appropriate without warning. I think this is why some of the details of what we saw were leaked.

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Specializes in Psych/CD/Medical/Emp Hlth/Staff ED.

If nothing is divulged that identifies the identity of a patient then there is no HIPAA violation.

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