Health Information Management

HIPAA Q&A: You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers!

HIM-HIPAA Insider, July 7, 2014

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to HIM-HIPAA Insider!

Submit your HIPAA questions to Editor Jaclyn Fitzgerald at jfitzgerald@hcpro.com and we will work with our experts to provide you with the information you need.

 
Q: I work in a medical records office and consider myself familiar with HIPAA rules and regulations. I recently tried to schedule an appointment for my fiancé at his dentist's office, which I have done in the past. However, I was told on this occasion that I am not permitted to schedule the appointment because my fiancé did not authorize me to do so on HIPAA disclosure documents. I thought this was strange, so I requested that the office manager call me and I also requested a copy of the dental office's notice of privacy practices (NPP). The practice refused to give me its NPP, and I have been waiting for more than a week for a return call. Does HIPAA dictate who can schedule a patient's appointment? If so, should an NPP include this information? If this is part of a practice's NPP, I wonder whether a breach occurred when I scheduled an appointment for my fiancé in the past.
 
A: There are a couple of issues here. First, the office should certainly provide you with a copy of its NPP. In fact, it is required to post it on its website if it has one, and at minimum on the wall at the practice.
 
HIPAA addresses disclosure of information. You can make an appointment for your fiancé without office staff needing to reveal any information about him to you and, therefore, this is acceptable under HIPAA. You are not bound by HIPAA as an individual and may share whatever information requested by the practice to make and confirm the appointment.
 
It may be that staff at the practice refused to make the appointment because they are confused or that they are concerned about no shows. However, there is no reason to refuse your request to make an appointment for your fiancé—unless, of course, he has requested this restriction.
 
Editor’s note: Chris Simons, MS, RHIA, director of HIM and privacy officer at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Keene, New Hampshire, answered this question for HCPro’s Medical Records Briefing newsletter.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to HIM-HIPAA Insider!

    Briefings on APCs

  • Briefings on APCs

    Worried about the complexities of the new rules under OPPS and APCs? Briefings on APCs helps you understand the new rules...

  • HIM Briefings

    Guiding Health Information Management professionals through the continuously changing field of medical records and toward a...

  • Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies

    Submitting improper Medicare documentation can lead to denial of fees, payback, fines, and increased diligence from payers...

  • Briefings on HIPAA

    How can you minimize the impact of HIPAA? Subscribe to Briefings on HIPAA, your health information management resource for...

  • APCs Insider

    This HTML-based e-mail newsletter provides weekly tips and advice on the new ambulatory payment classifications regulations...

Most Popular