HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

So I was thinking about this. How is it okay for a patient to share a room with another patient and hear all about their medical history, etc. but it's not okay for a doctor's office to fax a copy of my child's immunzations to my work because someone other than me might see them?

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

I always wondered about this as well!

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

Gooooood question.

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

My ped faxed mine immunizations to me

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

My ped will fax me DD's immunizations to me at work- but will not fax them to the day care center- even if I ask them to. It makes no sense to me!

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

I work in healthcare,

When you are sharing a hospital room, you don't have the demographic information ( ex: phone, address...etc)on the patient in the other bed. You are only hearing medical issues. I think that when something is faxed it would have many identifing information about the child or person on it. And this is the wrong hands, is not a good thing

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

I actually agree with you Summer. Its not only about demographic information its about patient confidentiality which is in fact being violated when the next person in the next bed can hear.

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

When I shared a hospital room with a weird woman, I was too hyped up on drugs to care about her information. All I know is that she snored, kept asking for more morphine and yelled at me my tv was too loud. I never saw her face or learned anything about her for a week.

When something is faxed anyone can read the information that is why doctors do not like to fax things. They are more than happy to make copies of records and send it to your home.

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

Posted by Summerrluvv

Posted by Emily

When I shared a hospital room with a weird woman, I was too hyped up on drugs to care about her information. All I know is that she snored, kept asking for more morphine and yelled at me my tv was too loud. I never saw her face or learned anything about her for a week.

When something is faxed anyone can read the information that is why doctors do not like to fax things. They are more than happy to make copies of records and send it to your home.

But isn't the jist of the law that other people aren't supposed to know your business when it comes to medical care?

My son surely wasn't paying attention to his roomate and his healthcare issues, but it made it hard for us to not pay attention when you are only a curtain away from them.

Message edited 11/16/2007 4:37:59 PM.

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

Posted by imagin916

Posted by Summerrluvv

Posted by Emily

When I shared a hospital room with a weird woman, I was too hyped up on drugs to care about her information. All I know is that she snored, kept asking for more morphine and yelled at me my tv was too loud. I never saw her face or learned anything about her for a week.

When something is faxed anyone can read the information that is why doctors do not like to fax things. They are more than happy to make copies of records and send it to your home.

But isn't the jist of the law that other people aren't supposed to know your business when it comes to medical care?

My son surely wasn't paying attention to his roomate and his healthcare issues, but it made it hard for us to not pay attention when you are only a curtain away from them.

If I remember correctly, HIPPA does not apply to things like seeing someone in the waiting room, overhearing conversations as long as there is an effort to provide privacy. For example, if the doctor/nurse is speakign to the patient in your room and is speaking in such a way to keep his/her voice down, closing the curtain, and you hear anyway, than its not a violation. It would be expected that with a cotton curtain seperated two people there is a possibility that someone else could hear, and you take measures to try to avoid that but I don't think anyone would be held liable if they did.

As far as I know, they are able to fax things from your record with written permission by you. In some cases, certain things may be faxed without permission as long as its directly involved in the care. For example, your primary care physician faxing a copy of your EKG to the hospital where you are an inpatient without your written consent. Both doctors are involved in your care directly, so they are allowed to do that and the information is not particularly sensitive. That is why I don't understand why people here are having problems getting faxed documents We fax ER records to peds offices all the time, with the parents request or permission.

Message edited 11/16/2007 4:58:35 PM.

Re: HIPAA Laws & Shared Hopsital Rooms

Posted by Emily

Posted by imagin916

Posted by Summerrluvv

Posted by Emily

When I shared a hospital room with a weird woman, I was too hyped up on drugs to care about her information. All I know is that she snored, kept asking for more morphine and yelled at me my tv was too loud. I never saw her face or learned anything about her for a week.

When something is faxed anyone can read the information that is why doctors do not like to fax things. They are more than happy to make copies of records and send it to your home.

But isn't the jist of the law that other people aren't supposed to know your business when it comes to medical care?

My son surely wasn't paying attention to his roomate and his healthcare issues, but it made it hard for us to not pay attention when you are only a curtain away from them.

If I remember correctly, HIPPA does not apply to things like seeing someone in the waiting room, overhearing conversations as long as there is an effort to provide privacy. For example, if the doctor/nurse is speakign to the patient in your room and is speaking in such a way to keep his/her voice down, closing the curtain, and you hear anyway, than its not a violation. It would be expected that with a cotton curtain seperated two people there is a possibility that someone else could hear, and you take measures to try to avoid that but I don't think anyone would be held liable if they did.

As far as I know, they are able to fax things from your record with written permission by you. In some cases, certain things may be faxed without permission as long as its directly involved in the care. For example, your primary care physician faxing a copy of your EKG to the hospital where you are an inpatient without your written consent. Both doctors are involved in your care directly, so they are allowed to do that and the information is not particularly sensitive. That is why I don't understand why people here are having problems getting faxed documents We fax ER records to peds offices all the time, with the parents request or permission.

My doctors in New York said that they had to mail my records to me in North Carolina. They said they don't trust the fax machine because it would be a violation of my rights if someone else had access to the machine. That is so odd.