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HIPAA for Telecommuters: Privacy, security, and patients’ rights

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, May 27, 2004

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Question: Your sister's close friend is having surgery at the hospital where you telecommute. She asks you to find out what you can about the friend's condition. Should you call and ask the nurses you know? Should you look up the friend's medical record?

Answer: No. Even if you and your sister have the best intentions, you have no right to look at private information about her friend's health.

Looking at patient records for any nonbusiness reason is cause for dismissal and can have possible legal consequences. If you share or repeat confidential information that you discover, either deliberately or by accident, you can lose your job.

This rule applies to all employees, whether working on the premises or from home. Protecting confidential information is a responsibility that the entire work force shares, regardless of where they work.

Editor's note: The above case is from the online course "HIPAA Training for Telecommuters: Privacy, security, and patients' rights." For more information on this and other HIPAA courses, go to www.hcprofessor.com and click on HIPAA.

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