Nurses!

I know you – you’ve got a ton of responsibilities, what with patient care, documentation, patient safety, keeping up with your CEUs, management of some of the technicians (and sometimes the admin staff). And now you’re trying to keep up with patient privacy, protecting your patients and their information like, well, a nurse.

Have you heard this one: working on an inpatient floor, you’ve been told that a patient’s family members have to be given a “password” so that they can call in for information about the patient.

Were you told that this is a HIPAA requirement? No, it isn’t.

How about this one: you get a phone call from someone claiming to be an elderly patient’s son calling long distance, and he’s desperate to find out how his father is doing since he was brought in to the ED with chest pains.

You’ve been told to say that you’re sorry, but you cannot release any information because of HIPAA. Nope, sorry, that’s not what the HIPAA Privacy Rules say.

And this one: patient names and other identifying information should not be put on exam doors, patient rooms, or whiteboards, because of HIPAA.*

Wrong. (In fact, not even close.)

How about this one: when checking in with the clinic front desk, a patient is asked, loudly, the reason for her visit. Yes, I’ve heard this complaint from patients.

Not so good – no one in the waiting room needs to know why the patient is there.

So, how about this: I’ve written a guide to the HIPAA Privacy Rules specifically for nurses, and it’s just $39.95.

Patient rights – what they are and how to preserve them
Authorizations – what a valid authorization is, and how it’s used
Talking with families – what you can say, and when
Working with external agencies – what they can have access to, and what they can’t
Cooperating with other healthcare facilities – how to share information without breaking any rules
Confidentiality – what it really means, and how your patients can use it
The Joint Commission and AAAHC – how to prepare should they come calling
Resolving potential complaints – you can take care of most complaints before they get out of hand
Safety versus Privacy – why patient safety is more important than patient privacy
And lots more, of course!

You’ll finally know just what the rules really say (with citations), and you’ll be miles ahead of your contemporaries who are still struggling with whether or not they should tell that person on the phone how their dad is doing (not to mention how easily you’ll be able to sleep at night when someone says “HIPAA”).

Order now!

*Tip: YES, patient safety ALWAYS trumps patient privacy! The patient’s last name, gender, and age can be written on patient room labels, and on whiteboards. The patient chart can be put in the door holder – just flip the chart so the name is not visible to passersby.

Got a question? Email me directly at Lane@hipaadiva.com.

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