In this month's HIPAA Q&A, we answer your questions about making changes to patient records, the difference between consent and authorization, vaccination data, and more!
Q: How far in advance are we required to provide an Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN)? If multiple entities are involved in ordering and providing a noncovered service such as a lab test, does each entity need to issue a separate ABN?
Q: My doctor emailed me while he was on vacation, and the email had the automatic “sent from my iPhone” message at the end. Is it a HIPAA violation for doctors to use their personal cell phone to communicate with patients?
Q: Case management requires a lot of communication with patients. What happens when communication can’t happen because of a patient’s temporary or permanent condition?
Q: A physician documented that a pregnant patient is obese, and the patient’s chart has a listed body mass index (BMI) score. Can we assign an ICD-10-CM BMI code in this instance or should this never be done for an obstetrics patient?
