A question on HIPAA about addressing a patient

[Karna - Kevin]

There was this question posted to me by some guest user in SlideShare,
the web service to find and share presentations. The question was
posted as a comment for the 'HIPAA Basics' presentation that I had
uploaded.

This was the question:

"Here is my question. Can you call a patient by there first and last
name or is that against hipaa rules and regulations?"

This was my answer:

"As per my understanding, there is no specific guidelines as to how a
patient should be addressed during a direct communication with him/
her. It's all up to your justification and depends on the rapport you
have with the patient.

But, being a professional, it is always expected that you communicate
in a polite and professional manner. You can always address a patient
with only the first name, ex: 'Hi Kevin' or the last name, ex: 'Hi Mr.
Arnold' or the full name, ex: 'Hi Mr. Kevin Arnold'.

As I've mentioned already, it all depends on the rapport and
relationship you have with the patient and again, HIPAA doesn't have
any specific guidelines for 'addressing a patient in a direct
communication'."

This question might even look silly for some, but I know that there
are a lot of people out there who always get into trouble when it
comes to calling a patient, either for a pending bill or to even
obtain some insurance details etc. Misappropriate addressing of
patients may lead to unpleasant calls and many AR staffs even face
embarrassing situations as the outcome.

To avoid such situations, it's always better to stick to the protocol
and try not to overstep the line of control, not just with the
patient, even with an insurance rep.

As far as HIPAA guidelines are concerned, I've answered to my
knowledge. There could be group members who are experts of HIPAA and
they might even differ from my statement, so responses are welcome
from everyone, as always.

After all, the ultimate aim is to share knowledge...

Thanks,
Karna

[Jai Ganesh]

Hi there,

HIPAA and Fair Debt Collections Practices Act only talks about disclosing information only

to the patient and not to any other family member unless a consent has been provided by the patient in writing during his office/hospitals visits.

To ensure we speak to the right person, it is important to ask for the patient (Full Name). During conversation with the

patient it really depends on the comfort level of the talkers to determine how to best address each other.

Jai.