If healthcare providers engage in confidential conversations with other providers or with patients, have they violated the rule if there is a possibility that they could be overheard?
The Privacy Rule is not intended to prohibit providers from talking to other providers and to their patients. We would consider the following practices to be permissible, if reasonable precautions are taken to minimize the chance of inadvertent disclosures to others who may be nearby (such as using lowered voices, talking apart): · Healthcare staff may orally coordinate services at hospital nursing stations. · Nurses or other healthcare professionals may discuss a patient’s condition over the phone with the patient, a provider or a family member. · A healthcare professional may discuss lab test results with a patient or other provider in a joint treatment area. · Healthcare professionals may discuss a patient’s condition during training rounds in an academic or training institution.
Related Questions
- If healthcare providers engage in confidential conversations with other providers or with patients, have they violated the rule if there is a possibility that they could be overheard?
- Can health care providers engage in confidential conversations with other providers or with patients/clients, even if there is a possibility that they could be overheard?
- Can health care providers engage in confidential conversations with other providers or with patients, even if there is a possibility that they could be overheard?
