by Suzi Bernert » Tue Sep 24, 2013 3:56 pm
The thing everyone is referring to is HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). This acronym can put fear in everyone in health care from the CEO of a hospital to the most battle-hardened ER Nurse. You cannot disclose any medical information about a patient if you are in a care-giving capacity. Some have interpreted this to cannot say a thing. An example would be if a patient had a medical issue in public, the caregivers cannot disclose any medical information, but John Q. Public can repeat anything he hears or sees and even take pictures and videos. Only exceptions are criminal investigations, death investigation by a coroner and the patient giving consent. I do not believe since Patrick did not say where he was working and did not disclose medical conditions, he has a HIPAA problem. That being said, he might want to check with the policy of the facility about patient privacy, just to be safe.
I met many interesting people, some well-known, some not so well known, in my career. I loved hearing their stories and learning from them. Taking the time to listen is a very important skill and the patients appreciate it!
Last edited by Suzi Bernert on Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:23 am, edited 2 times in total.
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