Hipaa Statute
hipaa statute
Former classmate takes unlisted phone number from dental patient file. Is this a HIPAA violation?
A while back, a former high school classmate, who also works at my dentist’s office as a dental hygienist and is not a close friend, called me at home regarding an upcoming class reunion and left a message. The problem is that the phone number was changed to an unlisted number 6 years ago. The only way this person could have gotten it was by looking into my dental records, which she would not have had any business looking at, since she was not involved in my direct care. I would not have ever questioned it if I had received a postcard regarding the class reunion through the mail, since my mailing address has been unchanged since the last one. It has made me wonder what other information is being leaked. My question is: Should I report this to her boss, the American Dental Association or leave well enough alone? Also, are there statutes of limitations regarding reporting HIPAA violations?
As the dental hygientist had no need to look in your medical record, it is arguably a HIPAA violation that she used it to obtain your unlisted telephone number. You should definitely report her to the dentist/her boss, and you may also notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
If hygientists are required to be licensed in your state, you may also want to contact the regulatory board that governs dentistry.
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Medical Records Law The manual will provide an overview of North Carolina law, educate attendees on appropriate and effective practices for licensed health care practitioners and institutional providers regarding the confidentiality of patient medical records, and eliminate confusion on the use and disclosure of patient medical records. Readers will learn and understand requirements for handling, storing, disposing o… |
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State laws mostly yield to HIPAA regulations: superseded only by stricter statutes. (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).(Practice Trends): An article from: Family Practice News $5.95 This digital document is an article from Family Practice News, published by International Medical News Group on November 15, 2003. The length of the article is 5043 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.Citatio… |
