Which of the following statements made by a nurse shows the best under

Which of the following statements made by a nurse shows the best understanding regarding the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 2003?

1. “I’m always careful to close the door when taping or listening to the unit’s shift report.”
2. “The nursing assistants know to hand me the vital signs sheet and not just put it on the medication cart.”
3. “I called the radiology department to tell them I would be faxing the client in-formation they requested.”
4. “The client’s niece called to see how she slept last night, but I told her I couldn’t share that with her over the phone.”

ANSWER

ANS: 3
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires all hospitals and health care agencies to have specific policies and procedures in place to ensure that there are rea-sonable safeguards to protect written and verbal communications about clients. By notifying the receiver of an impending client-oriented fax, the nurse has taken a reasonable measures to ensure it is seen by only the appropriate individuals. Although the remaining options deal with safe-guards, the potential for a breech in client confidentiality is not as great in those scenarios.