Q&A: Scheduling a doctor's appointment for a spouse

Q: My 74-year-old wife has various medical problems, so I often am in contact with her doctors. Recently, our internist contacted a pain specialist practice to get her an appointment, and the practice said they'd call my wife to set it up. The day they called, my wife was out. I answered the phone and explained that I handled both our schedules, so I could set up the appointment. The person said, “HIPAA rules prevent us from speaking to anyone other than the patient about their schedule. Have her call us back.” Is that correct? Or is it simply that practice's policy, not HIPAA's?

A: It sounds like it’s a policy of the practice and not a HIPAA requirement. If your wife is offered what’s called an opportunity to object to include you and share information about her care, which may be verbal, the practice can discuss certain matters with you. Sometimes a practice requires an authorization form specifically permitting the practice to speak to you about scheduling an appointment. Some practices have a “friends and family” form that a patient can fill out to list whom the practice may speak to about the patient and his or her care. Both would be policy decisions, though, and not a HIPAA requirement.

Editor’s note: Question answered by Chris Apgar, president of Apgar & Associates, LLC, in Portland, Oregon. He is also a BOH editorial advisory board member. This information does not constitute legal advice. Consult legal counsel for answers to specific privacy and security questions. Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent HCPro or ACDIS. Email your HIPAA questions to Associate Editor Heidi Samuelson at hsamuelson@hcpro.com.