Must we black out other patient names on Medicare EOBs when billing a secondary insurer for only one of the identified patients?
HIPAA Weekly Advisor, February 28, 2005
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The privacy rule does not specifically address this situation. But you should always keep in mind the fundamental privacy and security principle of "minimum necessary."
Whenever possible and reasonable, do not disclose PHI when it is not necessary. Therefore, in this case, blacking out the names of other patients makes sense and protects their privacy.
Editor's note: Kate Borten, CISSP, CISM, president of The Marblehead Group in Marblehead, MA, answered this question. This is not legal advice. Consult your attorney for legal matters.
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