Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: Is it OK to call out full names in a waiting room? Can you ask for “Nancy Johnson,” or should you only ask for “Nancy”? We’ve been using full names, but our new office manager asks that we stop doing this.

New Jersey Subscriber

Answer: Calling out patient names in a covered entity’s office or facility is covered under the incidental uses and disclosures rule. And in order for your incidental disclosures to be acceptable, you’ve got to apply the safeguarding requirements and the minimum necessary requirements.

Therefore, an entity needs to ask the following: What is the minimum necessary amount of information that you need to call out?

If you just call “John,” how many people are going to come to the front? Perhaps simply calling “Nancy J.” would be an application of the minimum necessary rule that would be reasonable for your waiting room or office. On the other hand, if you stand up there and call “Nancy J.” and nobody responds and you think maybe people just aren’t hearing their name, then it might be perfectly reasonable to go ahead and use the full name to get somebody’s attention in a busy waiting room. In most cases, this falls to a judgement call in determining the minimum information required; consult an attorney if necessary.