John Hay
John Hay Biomedical
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Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science)
Unit 2: Unit 2.1 Talk to Your DocPBS 2.1Handling, Preparation, Storage and Disposal

Apply Privacy Rules HIPAA

Use patient evidence to apply privacy rules (hipaa) without overclaiming.

Builds on (2 levels back)inferred · high confidence
  • Sign vs. symptom: Clinical data mixes measured findings with patient-reported history.
  • Normal range comparison: Students need a reference range or baseline to tell whether a value is concerning.

Prerequisites are inferred: pending teacher review.

Re-learn the skill with worked practice and clear examples.

Use the minimum-necessary rule to decide which disclosures are permitted and which are prohibited.

Step 1: Read the table
The table labels four actions as permitted or prohibited.
ActionHIPAA status
Nurse reads chart to treat the patientPermitted (treatment)
Billing clerk sees only the codes neededPermitted (minimum necessary)
Friend with no role asks about the patientProhibited (no permission)
Posting the chart photo onlineProhibited (public disclosure)
Table of clinical actions labeled permitted or prohibited under HIPAA
Step 2: Apply minimum necessary
Sharing is allowed only for people with a role, and only the parts they need.
Practice

Using the table, which sharing of patient information is PERMITTED under HIPAA?

Reviewed
ActionHIPAA status
Nurse reads chart to treat the patientPermitted (treatment)
Billing clerk sees only the codes neededPermitted (minimum necessary)
Friend with no role asks about the patientProhibited (no permission)
Posting the chart photo onlineProhibited (public disclosure)
Table of clinical actions labeled permitted or prohibited under HIPAA
  1. A.A billing clerk sees only the codes needed to bill
  2. B.A friend with no role asks about the patient
  3. C.Posting the chart photo online
  4. D.Reading the chart aloud in a public hallway
Show the worked solution ▾

Answer: A. A billing clerk sees only the codes needed to bill

  1. Step 1: Find the permitted rows: The table marks the billing clerk seeing only needed codes as permitted (minimum necessary).
  2. Step 2: Rule out the rest: A friend, a public post, and hallway talk all lack permission or share too much.

Why it's right: The billing clerk has a role and sees only the minimum codes needed, which the table marks as permitted.

Why the others miss:
  • B: A friend has no treatment or billing role, so this is prohibited.
  • C: Posting online is a public disclosure with no permission.
  • D: Reading a chart in a public hallway exposes PHI to people with no role.

Aligned to Handling, Preparation, Storage and Disposal · reading level ~grade 9

Where you'd see this
  • In a clinic, staff use minimum-necessary to limit who sees each part of a chart.
Careers that use this
Health Information Technologist: Decides who may see a patient chart and shares only the minimum information allowed under HIPAA.
Video library
Watch: Apply Privacy Rules HIPAA
HIPAA 101: Everything you need to know about protecting patient privacy
Clover Learning · 6:54
Guided notes

Fill these in as you work through the lesson.

Big idea: HIPAA protects patient information by limiting who may see a chart and how much is shared.
Key terms: write the meaning
  • PHI (protected health information):  
  • Minimum necessary (share only what is needed):  
  • Permitted disclosure (sharing allowed for a role like treatment or billing):  
  • De-identification (removing details that point to a person):  
The rule

Share only the   necessary PHI, and only with people who are   to see it.

Check yourself
  1. Is this information PHI? 
  2. Does this person have a role that permits access? 
  3. Is only the minimum being shared? 
Work one example

Read the action table and decide which disclosures HIPAA permits and which it prohibits.