HIPAA Privacy

Zameya, a 44-year-old high school teacher, called her mom’s physician and asked about the results from her mom’s urinalysis taken at the office on the prior day. The temp office nurse indicated that they could not discuss results over the phone with anyone but the patient because of HIPAA.

Zameya indicates that she was at the office the prior day with her mom and while in the examination room with her mom, the physician communicated openly about her mom’s health, her condition and treatments as well as the need for the urinalysis.

1. Consider the similarities and the differences of the above two scenarios and highlight them
2. Then indicate why HIPAA allows the second scenario and disallows the first.
3. Finally, propose a way to correct the first scenario so that the results can be shared over the phone with Zameya.