Q&A: Receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices

Q. Are we allowed to accept verbal acknowledgement of receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices, or must it always be signed?

A. The Privacy Rule requires that providers make a good-faith effort to obtain written acknowledgment of receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices. You may incorporate the acknowledgment into the standard consent-to-treat forms that patients sign at the time of registration, or you may use a separate form. If you cannot communicate with the patient or the patient refuses to sign the acknowledgment, document your attempt and the reason the signature could not be obtained, such as “patient refused to sign” or “patient unconscious; no family member present.”