Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Another HIPAA Violation!

I'm filling scripts like a wild man one Monday afternoon when I overhear a conversation between the technician and a patient at the register:

"Do YOU realize that your computer screen is facing the public?"

She's referring to our cash register which has a screen that shows the amount due after we have rung everything up in the register. 

The technician gives her a puzzled look. "That's so you can see how much you owe."

"That's my PRIVATE information. YOU'RE making it available for public view. Are YOU aware there are laws about sharing my PRIVATE information?"

No, we're absolutely and completely unaware of that, I thought to myself.

The technician apologizes. We apologize more than we fill prescriptions. That's what we do now.

How much you pay for your medicine is NOW private health information. You best keep it secure!

3 comments:

Officer Cynical said...

$5 for generic, $15 for brand, and sometimes higher if it's something really wacky. There, I said it.

Anonymous said...

You must work in my local grocery store pharmacy. That would explain why they can't spell HIPAA. :-)

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of the summer in college I spent working as a bank teller. Customer comes up to the window, wanting to withdraw cash from his account by writing a check to himself.

I tell him that I need to see his driver's license and I then began writing the license number on the check.

He gets highly upset that I'm taking such PERSONAL information from him and placing it on his check for anyone to see, going on and on about how this is such an egregious violation of his privacy and an unsafe practice. How could we at Vulture Bank be so careless?!?

I wanted to point out to him that all of his checks came pre-printed with his name, address, phone number, and account number already on them. And, if he used a personal check as tender that anyone who could view the check would be able to find out a whole lot of information about him...if they even cared in the first place.

But I chose not to argue with stupid that day.