Medical Scribe Compliance & HIPAA Regulations Flashcards

Under HIPAA, which of the following is considered a 'covered entity'?

Answer: A health insurance company

Health insurance companies are covered entities under HIPAA because they transmit health information electronically in covered transactions.

A medical scribe overhears a physician discussing a celebrity patient's diagnosis in the elevator. What is the scribe's primary obligation?

Answer: Remind the physician that PHI should not be discussed in public areas

Medical scribes have a duty to uphold HIPAA standards and may gently remind colleagues when PHI is being discussed in inappropriate locations.

What is the maximum penalty per violation category per year for willful neglect of HIPAA that is not corrected?

Answer: $1,900,000

Willful neglect not corrected carries a maximum penalty of $1,900,000 per violation category per calendar year (adjusted for inflation).

Which HIPAA rule specifically addresses the security of electronic protected health information (ePHI)?

Answer: The Security Rule

The HIPAA Security Rule establishes national standards to protect ePHI that is created, received, used, or maintained by a covered entity.

A patient requests an amendment to their medical record claiming the physician's note contains inaccurate information. Under HIPAA, the covered entity may deny the request if:

Answer: The record was not created by the covered entity

A covered entity may deny an amendment request if the PHI was not created by the covered entity, as they cannot verify the accuracy of records they did not generate.

What does 'minimum necessary' standard require of a medical scribe when documenting in the EHR?

Answer: Document only information necessary for the current visit's treatment

The minimum necessary standard requires that only PHI reasonably necessary to accomplish the intended purpose be used or disclosed.

Which of the following is NOT one of the 18 HIPAA identifiers that must be removed to de-identify patient information?

Answer: Patient's chief complaint

A patient's chief complaint is clinical information and not one of the 18 specific identifiers listed under HIPAA's de-identification standards.