HIPAA Q&A: Fax to the wrong number
HIPAA Weekly Advisor, February 15, 2010
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Q. An administrative assistant in our pathology department was faxing a report to a physician’s office. After dialing, the administrative assistant realized the last two numbers were incorrect and unsuccessfully attempted to stop the fax. The law firm that received the fax called later that day to notify us of the mistake. Must we notify the patient that this happened?
A. If you believe potential harm to the patient exists because of the disclosure, you should notify him or her. Otherwise, you probably don’t need to notify the patient. Depending on your organization’s policy, however, you may need to document this disclosure for an accounting of disclosures.
Program frequently used numbers into your fax machine’s memory to reduce the risk of dialing errors.
Editor’s note: Mary D. Brandt, MBA, RHIA, CHE, CHPS, answered this question. This is not legal advice. Consult your attorney regarding legal matters.
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