NCMA HIPAA and Patient Privacy Rights

Question 1

Under HIPAA, what does 'PHI' stand for, and what does it include?

Accepted Answer

Protected Health Information — individually identifiable health information held by covered entities

Answer

Patient Health Index — a numerical score of overall health

Answer

Private Hospital Information — internal hospital records not accessible to patients

Answer

Public Health Initiative — government programs for disease prevention

Question 2

Which of the following represents a HIPAA-permitted disclosure of PHI WITHOUT the patient's written authorization?

Accepted Answer

Disclosing immunization records to a patient's school for enrollment

Answer

Sharing a patient's diagnosis with their employer for insurance purposes

Answer

Providing patient records to the patient's attorney without a court order

Answer

Releasing medical records to a pharmaceutical company for marketing

Question 3

What is the HIPAA 'Minimum Necessary' standard, and how does it apply in daily practice?

Accepted Answer

Only the minimum amount of PHI necessary to accomplish the intended purpose should be used, disclosed, or requested

Answer

Only the minimum number of staff may access patient files at one time

Answer

The minimum necessary medication dose should be prescribed for all patients

Answer

Patient records may only be a minimum number of pages in length

Question 4

A patient calls the medical office requesting a copy of their own medical records. Under HIPAA, what are the patient's rights?

Accepted Answer

Patients have the right to access and obtain copies of their PHI, typically within 30 days, with a possible 30-day extension

Answer

Patients have no automatic right to their records — this is at physician discretion

Answer

Patients can only access records if they have an attorney present

Answer

Patients may only view records in the office but cannot obtain copies

Question 5

What is the correct action when a medical assistant accidentally views a celebrity patient's medical record while searching for another patient with a similar name?

Accepted Answer

Immediately close the record, report the accidental access to the supervisor, and document the incident per facility policy

Answer

Ignore the incident since it was accidental

Answer

Share with the celebrity's publicist to ensure information accuracy

Answer

Make note of the information for potential future reference

Question 6

A patient's family member calls the medical office asking for information about the patient's recent laboratory results. Under HIPAA, what should the medical assistant do?

Accepted Answer

Verify whether the patient has authorized release to this specific family member or if they are listed as a personal representative before disclosing any PHI

Answer

Provide the results since family members have an inherent right to patient information

Answer

Refuse to confirm whether the patient is even a patient at the practice

Answer

Ask the family member to have the patient call back themselves