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    wknight7's Avatar
    wknight7 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Apr 10, 2009, 06:16 AM
    HIPAA Violation? What to do?
    My sister had a recent hospital stay and when she received the bill in the mail they had printed her SSN along with the name and address? Is this a HIPAA violation? Is there anything she should do to protect her credit, or should she make any demands of the hospital? When she called the hospital they said "sorry" and seem to hope she will just go away. Thanks for any advice.
    ScottGem's Avatar
    ScottGem Posts: 64,966, Reputation: 6056
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    #2

    Apr 10, 2009, 08:12 AM

    No its not a HIPAA violation. No information about her medical diagnosis or treatment was revealed to a third party.

    Have her contact the hospital and have them pay for at least one year of a credit monitoring service.
    JudyKayTee's Avatar
    JudyKayTee Posts: 46,503, Reputation: 4600
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    #3

    Apr 10, 2009, 09:54 AM

    Hmm - never thought about this. I went to the Doctor this week, just looked at the receipt - not the bill, it has my SS number on it.

    Again, hmm - not HIPAA but certainly I'm not happy.
    ScottGem's Avatar
    ScottGem Posts: 64,966, Reputation: 6056
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    #4

    Apr 10, 2009, 11:56 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by JudyKayTee View Post
    Hmm - never thought about this. I went to the Doctor this week, just looked at the receipt - not the bill, it has my SS number on it.

    Again, hmm - not HIPAA but certainly I'm not happy.
    The question is whether the SSN shows in the window. If its on the bill but its not a window envelope or its not visible in the window, then its not a huge issue. If its in the window then it can become an issue.

    Regardless, though, I would bring this to the attention of the office manager. They should contact the software vendor for the billing software they use and set it to either not show the SSN or just show the last 4 characters.
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