Q: I work for a home health agency. They’ve recently instructed us not to wear scrubs, lab coats, or anything that could obviously identify us as healthcare professionals. They’ve asked us to wear more business/professional casual attire because some patients complained that their neighbors saw nurses coming into the house and were concerned it was a HIPAA violation. Is this really a HIPAA concern, or could this be considered an incidental disclosure?
This week’s Medicare updates include the quarterly listing of program issuances, a fact sheet on the federal health exchange’s 2018 open enrollment period, revised instructions for certificate of medical necessity and durable medical equipment information forms, and more!
Q: Our state child support enforcement agency requested the medical records of one of our pediatric patients. Are we allowed to respond to this request without a subpoena?