Q: Is it a HIPAA violation for our health information management department personnel to leave charts in the operative suite so that physicians can complete them prior to beginning their procedures?
HIPAA Weekly Advisor, April 23, 2007
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A: This is not a HIPAA violation, as long as you protect the charts from access by members of the public or unauthorized members of the workforce. This is fairly standard practice and only becomes a violation if the you do not have the appropriate chart privacy and security policies, procedures, and practices in place.
Editor's note: Chris Apgar, president of Portland, OR-based Apgar & Associates, LLC, answered this question. This is not legal advice. Consult your attorney for legal matters.
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