I am a student and have been learning a bit about the new HIPPA legislation. I was wondering how much of an effect it has actually had on healthcare professionals and institutions.

It has been difficult. Not that it's inbearable but just a darn pain in the butt.
Can't call patient's from waiting room by whole name, just first. Can't give Lab instuctions over phone as that implies person may be patient there. It goes on.. just makes me feel like it so impersonalbe anymore.

Won't calling patients by just their first names cause problems when there is more than one patient waiting with the same name? How is that problem solved if you aren't supposed to use the patient's full name anymore?

I agree it is a pain and it's not as beneficial to the patient as it seems. Patient's are finding that out daily. Not to mention a lot of them are upset that they can't access their husband's health info without his signature of consent. Oh well!

What we have been doing is have the patient sign in then use a black marker to black out the name.Also, the hospitals are doing this. It has been difficult with the new HIPPA laws. We have had some upset patients, especially when we first started this. They hated it. But, you have to tell them that this is the new law and we all have to abide by it.
The paper work they have to fill out is awful.

I haven't really had any problems with the hippa. I call patients by their first name. i can schedule tests for them over the phone, and i can still give other offices medical records. But if anyone else wants access to records everything must be signed and okayed by the patient.

I know when you schedule out patients, you can't ask for their home number anymore. You have to ask them what number is best, what number could be used in case they need to get contacted about the appointment. It takes a little more effort.
Upshutter

I know when you schedule out patients, you can't ask for their home number anymore. You have to ask them what number is best, what number could be used in case they need to get contacted about the appointment. It takes a little more effort.
Upshutter

There's nothing in HIPAA that keeps you from asking for a home number. Now, I wouldn't call them at home, but we wouldn't do that anyway unless that asked us for that. But you can certainly ask for that.

In general, its created a pain in the but, and in most cases most patient's have less privacy than they did before HIPAA went into placce. Yes, there is the illusion of privacy, but in reality HIPAA explicitly allows a lot of things that previously wouldn't have been allowed without it, or would have been very grey zone -- espicially the exemption to release PHI for payment to essentially anyone, to any government official, etc.

The rules are, when scheduling for Radiology that you have to ask the pt, for a number we can reach them regarding the appointment. They say it's a Confidentiality purpose.

I have worked in the health care world for about 100 years (well, maybe not that long) and I find it as a pt and an employee of a provider to be a royal pain in the butt. The biggest thing was last summer, my son was going to camp, I sent the ppwk to my pediatrician to have him fill out, sign and send (with my sig) to the camp, they couldn't send it to the camp, but they could send it to me. HELLO??? Does anyone else find this absurd?

I'm sorry guys, not a health care worker, but an aggrivated patient. This law has been a pain in the butt. All my docs know I have narcolepsy and can't drive but because of the law I have to scrounge a ride to go personally sign for records.
I have a few diff docs and they're all prohibited for sharing information even if they have my say so. I used to be able to have my husband pick up my records so I didn't have to worry about finding rides but because of this I keep copies of all records at home in triplicate!!

I'm sorry guys, not a health care worker, but an aggrivated patient. This law has been a pain in the butt. All my docs know I have narcolepsy and can't drive but because of the law I have to scrounge a ride to go personally sign for records.
I have a few diff docs and they're all prohibited for sharing information even if they have my say so. I used to be able to have my husband pick up my records so I didn't have to worry about finding rides but because of this I keep copies of all records at home in triplicate!!


HELLO ALL,
I HAVE BEEN READING ALL THE POSTINGS RE: HIPPA. I DO THINK THE HIPPA LAWS NEEDED SOME BUFFING BUT THIS IS CRAZY! I HAVE WORKED IN HEALTHCARE FOR 19 YEARS. THE NEW HIPPA LAWS MAKES IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO A GOOD JOB IN A TIMELY MANNER. I TOLD MY FELLOW CO-WORKERS BEFORE LONG OUR PATIENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO DON A FULL FACE MASK BEFORE LEAVING THE CAR TO COME IN THE OFFICE, WHERE THEY WILL SIMPLY TAKE A NUMBER!!HOPE IT DOESNT COME TO THIS!!
THANKS!
REDKY

The WSJ, LA Times, and NY Times have all had articles on the patient care effects of HIPAA in the last week or so, they are interesting articles.

I have yet to run into a situation where these problems aren't related to a misapplication / misintrepretation of the law, rather than the law itself.

rubindj

Hahahahaha, Redky, let's hope it doesn't come to that!!

Hey Rubindj, I would have to agree with you...I must say that I'm certainly not an expert on the subject...don't want or try to be...but I would say that the issue of being able to mail to the pt's mother and not the camp would be one misinterpretation. Along the same lines with NCQA, we have to make all letters to the pt's that we send at a 6th grade level. Personally, if I were to receive a letter written like ours are (a welcome letter to new pt's with ESRD), I would decline the program due to the fact that I would think the company thought i was a complete idiot! It's all in how you view it I guess.

I don't know much about HIPPA, however i have worked in hospitals for over 30 years (i quit counting) and their is always a problem with people misintrepting the guidelines. If you work in the medical field and have problems with the guidelines, call and ask questions. Don't over d it or get paranoid.

bruce

I think the biggest problem that I see with HIPPA so far is extreme degree that healthcare professionals are taking it. You can basically still call patients by name, give test results over the phone, etc ... its more a case of the fear of prosecution by people inadequately trained in HIPAA that is causing all of the problems. Basically ... just don't be careless with medical information ... especially if you work for a healthcare organization.

As far as where I work, we cannot give results over the phone.

I am a student and have been learning a bit about the new HIPPA legislation. I was wondering how much of an effect it has actually had on healthcare professionals and institutions.
The new HIPPA laws seemed to have taken on a life of their own! They are probably causing more impact than the law was intended to make. Common sense is now out the window! I believe in patient protection but the inconvenience to me & my patients has been enormous.
--Positive4U

HIPPA was created for all the right reasons, but it has become very probmatic and can (and has) become very frustrating to both health professionals and patients/familys

I have to say that as a patient, HIPPA has been the largest pain in the kiester of all! I actually had to sign a release form at my neuro's office that asked the name, address, driver's license and social security numbers and relationship to me for them to pick up my charts. My favorite is that I have post-traumatic narcolepsy which has made it impossible to drive for more than six months now and because of this law, I have to sign a flippin' release every single time!

Honestly, who wants my records anyway??? I'm uninsurable, life's an open book, broadcast them on the news for all I care! I just wish they could offer some type of waiver or set up a system where there's a "password" for your charts and you can get the information over the phone.

I understand their reasoning for over doing it....too many sue happy people, but if they're going to sue, they'll find another way! Not because someone called and gave me results over the phone without physical proof of who I was.

I can't understand how much it must also complicate the lives of the already overworked and time-pressed medical community.