Practice Management Alert

Whether you're the office's HIPAAprivacy officer or just doing what you're told, test your HIPAAknowledge with these questions and answers provided by Teena George, a certified HIPAAspecialist and owner of Humboldt Medical Solutions.

Question: If a patient asks for a copy of his record, what should you do?

Answer: Have the patient complete and sign an authorization form for the release of his medical records. Once this is received, provide him with a copy of his record, based on your practice's policies and procedures.

Question: What should you do if someone other than the patient, for instance an outside agency, requests a copy of a patient's record?

Answer: You should always first determine if there is an established business-associate relationship and formal agreement. If so, follow your practice procedures. If not, investigate the reasons why this party is in need of the record and be sure that the patient is informed.

Question: What should be done if you need to discuss a patient and you are in a public area?

Answer: Move to a private location and lower your voice.

Question: What should be done if you must talk with a patient in a semi-private room?

Answer: Try to provide as much privacy as possible, including lowering your voice, being discreet, and partitioning the room to provide as much privacy as possible.

Question: What should you do if you find yourself in a situation where others are openly discussing a patient?

Answer: Politely remind these parties to respect patient privacy. Also request that they continue their conversation regarding the patient in a private area.

These questions came directly from George's Web site: http://pages.prodigy.net/hummed/wsn/page6.html. $ $ $