It’s Your Call June 2022

HIPAA: TRUE OR FALSE: It is a good idea to respond to a patient who posts an issue or a negative review online so everyone can see that your practice is helpful and caring.

A: FALSE! Even though it is the patient who posts information about their visit or health condition, if your practice’s reply acknowledges that they’re a patient and/or provides more information about them or their condition, it is a breach of their PHI. Use a consistent, positive template response for consistency, even for good reviews.

OSHA Question:   What should our office know about monkeypox?

As of June 1, 2022, there have been close to 20 confirmed monkeypox cases in the United States. Potential signs of monkeypox include flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes. Then, infectious lesions form on the body which can primarily be spread through sustained skin-to-skin contact. A person is no longer considered contagious once the lesions have disappeared and a new layer of skin has formed.

Healthcare personnel who enter an area with a known or suspected monkeypox case should don gown, gloves, eye protection, and a NIOSH approved N95 filtering facepiece or equivalent, or higher-level respirator.