[Inyo Tim]

Due to Covid the senior center has closed here. The lunches are now delivered to one's house.
When I asked the driver how the other seniors are doing I was told "I can't talk about that".
One senior had died and the staff was not allowed to inform the other seniors.
I realize medical staff are not allowed to talk about patient health, but how can this be stretched to apply to any type of care giver? Nervous county attorney?

 

[Scott1970]

HIPAA is a magical talisman which has gotten me out of wearing a mask, I know that much.

 

[selogic]

People mistakenly believe that HIPPA laws pertain to anyone and everyone . Not so . Health Information & Privacy | CDC

 

[uhlawpup]

Best way to know is to google the law and read it. From what I remember, it is pretty specific.

 

[Inyo Tim]

Best way to know is to google the law and read it. From what I remember, it is pretty specific.

That was the first thing I did. I didn't understand much of what I read.

 

[nursetim]

It applies to all entities involved with the provision of healthcare. I don’t think meals on wheels qualifies. I could be mistaken, this IS the internet after all.

 

[Jon_R]

Hippa laws apply to insurance companies, health care providers, and employers if they have any healthcare data on their employees. If the manager of Costco asks you something medical there is no hippa relevance.

 

[R.B. Riddick]

Due to Covid the senior center has closed here. The lunches are now delivered to one's house.
When I asked the driver how the other seniors are doing I was told "I can't talk about that".
One senior had died and the staff was not allowed to inform the other seniors.
I realize medical staff are not allowed to talk about patient health, but how can this be stretched to apply to any type of care giver? Nervous county attorney?

I do not know about meals on wheels, but our medical pick up drivers cannot discuss ANYTHING about their clients, unless they are reporting that information to that medical provider.

I am often asked by clients about other clients, and I often direct them to that client to ask their questions because of HIPPA. I also do the same with other healthcare workers, that are not providing care to a client because it is none of their business. Trust, privacy, and diginity are important in these relationships.

 

[Mayhem like Me]

Most people on the patient care Industry have a poor grasp of what HIPAA means and what it pertains to.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Inyo Tim]

It applies to all entities involved with the provision of healthcare.

Part of the senior program here is health care. Same dept. as meals I think. The boss must have told the whole dept. to zip it.

 

[SleeperSS]

My wife has a penpal in an assisted living facility in Florida. After not hearing from her for awhile, she called to check on her. All's they would say is that she wasn't in the facility. Home visiting relatives, covid...worse?

 

[RenoF250]

Hippa laws apply to insurance companies, health care providers, and employers if they have any healthcare data on their employees. If the manager of Costco asks you something medical there is no hippa relevance.

I believe it is far more general than that. HIPPA was created to protect people with AIDS from discrimination by dentists, employers, everything. Therefore, you are not allowed to ask for any health info on anyone. Costco could not ask because you would discriminating based on health. Most of this Covid crap goes against it directly. If it is not HIPPA there is some other law that covers it. I remember when it first came out dentists complaining they could be exposed because they could not ask and as a result would have to treat all patients like they had it. Also, employers will not tell you anything about co workers and it is a huge PITA when dealing with medicine. But if the overlords think they want to know something like covid symptoms suddenly everyone can know.

 

[kahrcarrier]

My understanding is HIPPA has nothing to do with emergency medical mandates ala the "wear a mask." The COVID mandates overrule HIPPA if I take it correctly.

 

[walkinguf61]

HIPPA tends to be shield against the greater good at times. A lot of these police involved shootings, HIpPA prevents releasing to the media or the police finding out the numerous previous times the person had been committed to a psych facility and turned loose too soon.

 

[selogic]

Health Information & Privacy | CDC ... Link

 

[DaveD]

My mother-in-law is in assisted living. She had lunch with someone on 11/10 that tested Covid positive on 11/24. She is 94 and sharp as a tack mentally. They talked with her children last night and said they were going to test all of the persons contacts today.

They show up at her door and tell her they are random testing. She immediately asked them which one of her friends is sick. She is sharp, started making calls, and figured it out.

I'm sure all 200 residents have heard from her by now.

 

[Jon_R]

Then maybe it is something else but Costco is not a covered entity under hippa. They have no responsibility to protect your health information except for their pharmacy.

https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html#two

I believe it is far more general than that. HIPPA was created to protect people with AIDS from discrimination by dentists, employers, everything. Therefore, you are not allowed to ask for any health info on anyone. Costco could not ask because you would discriminating based on health. Most of this Covid crap goes against it directly. If it is not HIPPA there is some other law that covers it. I remember when it first came out dentists complaining they could be exposed because they could not ask and as a result would have to treat all patients like they had it. Also, employers will not tell you anything about co workers and it is a huge PITA when dealing with medicine. But if the overlords think they want to know something like covid symptoms suddenly everyone can know.

 

[DaleGribble]

Hippa laws apply to insurance companies, health care providers, and employers if they have any healthcare data on their employees. If the manager of Costco asks you something medical there is no hippa relevance.

Is that Costco manager talking to a customer of the Costco pharmacy?

Yeah, it's that tricky, but it was Hillary's baby, so that explains it.

Basically, any covered entity, and any entity that has anything to do with anyone's health care, can't say **** about anybody, including their shoe size and preference for Charmin or Angel Soft, to anybody else without a signed release or a few other specific circumstances.

 

[warbow150]

Due to Covid the senior center has closed here. The lunches are now delivered to one's house.
When I asked the driver how the other seniors are doing I was told "I can't talk about that".
One senior had died and the staff was not allowed to inform the other seniors.
I realize medical staff are not allowed to talk about patient health, but how can this be stretched to apply to any type of care giver? Nervous county attorney?

I wouldn’t assume just because they can’t talk about it that it’s related to HIPPA. It could be as simple as senior center policy. If they did claim it’s due to HIPPA, then a nervous attorney could be the reason, or the employee in question simply misunderstood and attributed it to HIPPA. There are any number reasons an organization might elect not to allow its employees to share information about clients, HIPPA is only one of them.

 

[larry_minn]

When in doubt the ONLY safe answer is “I’m not allowed to answer that, here is the phone number of my supervisor”
If you know how to ask you can get plenty info. How you ask matters as well as what you ask.
Most hospitals will give out more info then they really should. IMO. When I ask.
Pre Covid. “Hi this is me, X is my godmother. I want to visit her. Is it normally better to visit her in the morning, afternoon, evening?” I wind up knowing how she is doing, when she has pt, procedures scheduled.. It’s likely they understood grandmother.. oh well.