Is it a HIPAA violation for a doctor to make phone calls regarding a patient in a public place such as the gym? I overheard a doctor yesterday making phone calls and was concerned about her patients’ privacy rights.

It very well can be, but if the patient were in critical condition and the doc was at the gym and needed to give orders, then sometimes HIPAA does not apply.

There are certain gray areas to HIPAA, such as telephone orders, etc.