Practice Management Alert
You Can Say Patients' Names Aloud
Question: I have switched careers recently and now work at the front desk of a family practice office. I am not sure of what’s appropriate or legal behavior for the waiting room, in terms of the Health Information Accountability and Portability Act (HIPAA). For example, is it really OK to have a patient sign-in sheet at the desk and call out patients’ names when there’s an exam room open for them? Florida Subscriber Answer: Yes, it’s actually OK, says the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR). “The HIPAA Privacy Rule explicitly permits the incidental disclosures that may result from this practice, for example, when other patients in a waiting room hear the identity of the person whose name is called, or see other patient names on a sign-in sheet,” the OCR explains. But you need to have certain common-sense safeguards in place, too. For example, don’t announce the reason of the patient’s visit: “Sally Johnson, exam room 1 is available for your breast exam appointment,” or require it on your practice’s sign-in sheet.
Practice Management Alert
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You Can Say Patients' Names Aloud
Question: I have switched careers recently and now work at the front desk of a family [...]
