HIPPA violation?

[Ms.RN]

A patient of mine had a CT scan of her brain done as an outpatient and she was not told of the result but the result was being told to her immediate family. Isnt this a hippa violation? I mean shes not confused and she is capable of making decision for herself.

[Luv2BAnurse]

That's not enough information to decide if it's a HIPAA violation or not.

[sunkissed75, CNA]

I was watching a rerun of Criminal Minds where the blond tech girl gets shot by her date. Anyway... the rest of the team is in the waiting room while she is in surgery and when the surgery is done the doctor comes out and tells the whole group how the surgery went and her prognosis.

Maybe I'm on this site too much, because whenever I see things like this my first thought is always HIPAA violation!! Would this be considered a violation?

[diva rn, BSN, RN]

I just want to go on record saying thank you to those who responded with the appropriate spelling...of

HIPAA......it is the Health Information and Portalbility and Accountability ACT....thus the HIPAA not HIPPA....

Sorry, this is one of those things that is like fingernails on a blackboard to me....

now, carry on....:)

Diva

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

I just want to go on record saying thank you to those who responded with the appropriate spelling...of

HIPAA......it is the Health Information and Portalbility and Accountability ACT....thus the HIPAA not HIPPA....

Sorry, this is one of those things that is like fingernails on a blackboard to me....

now, carry on....:)

Diva

I'm also a HIPAA police officer:cool:. Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the I in HIPAA stood for insurance.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

[merlee]

Well, it doesn't make a lot of sense unless there was some sort of mitigating circumstances. But we can't tell from this amount of information.

HIPAA HIPAA!!!!!

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

I think in the case of the original posting, it is a violation of HIPAA unless she said/signed that family could be told the results. However, not to tell her and to tell them instead makes little sense.

For the television situation...consider this. If you had a loved one who was shot and had to have emergency surgery, you were beyond worried in the waiting room, and the victim couldn't give consent for you to be told the results of surgery or prognosis, how would that feel if the doc could tell you nothing? Besides, someone, the nearest family member, becomes responsible for decisions, if someone was available, so it seems that person would be entitled to information as well as being asked to made decisions, doesn't it?

I have to add this even though it's a flight of idea: HIPAA, HIPAA Hooray!!

A patient of mine had a CT scan of her brain done as an outpatient and she was not told of the result but the result was being told to her immediate family. Isnt this a hippa violation? I mean shes not confused and she is capable of making decision for herself.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

For the TV show, maybe a violation, but it's TV and law does not apply (I could write a book about the nonrealistic world of House...)

As for the OP. it really is impossible to tell based on the OP. Perhaps the pt had given express permission for her family to be notified. It does not make much sense to tell family and not the pt, but, in that case, it would not be a HIPAA violation.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Thank you all my HIPAA freaks out there!!!!

[Chin up]

Thank you all my HIPAA freaks out there!!!!

I would never forget...I think it was my third or fourth post, when you schooled me. I still did not get it, but roser13 spelled it out clearly...... I redid my resume the other day and guess what I found....so thanks! Peace!

[Altra, BSN, RN]

A patient of mine had a CT scan of her brain done as an outpatient and she was not told of the result but the result was being told to her immediate family. Isnt this a hippa violation? I mean shes not confused and she is capable of making decision for herself.

The family was being told -- in what manner?

If the scan was on an outpatient basis, I'm assuming that the patient had the scan and then went home. At some later point, whether it was 30 minutes or 3 days, the radiologist interpreted the scan and the results were communicated to the ordering physician, just like any other outpatient test.

How/when/where were the results communicated to the family?