A nurse is reviewing information about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) with a newly licensed nurse. Which of the following statements by the newly licensed nurse indicates a need for further teaching?

A.

“Information about a client can be disclosed to family members at any time.”

B.

“HIPAA established regulations of individually identifiable health information in verbal, electronic, or written form.”

C.

“HIPAA is a federal law, not a state law.”

D.

“A client’s address would be an example of personally identifiable information.”

The statement by the newly licensed nurse that indicates a need for further teaching is:

A. “Information about a client can be disclosed to family members at any time.”

Explanation:

Under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), client information cannot be disclosed to family members or any other individuals without the client’s consent or unless there are specific exceptions. HIPAA requires that healthcare providers obtain proper authorization before sharing protected health information (PHI) with family members, unless the disclosure is required for the client’s care or other permitted reasons.

Here’s a breakdown of the other statements:

B. “HIPAA established regulations of individually identifiable health information in verbal, electronic, or written form.”
This statement is correct. HIPAA protects all forms of individually identifiable health information, whether it’s verbal, electronic, or written.

C. “HIPAA is a federal law, not a state law.”
This statement is correct. HIPAA is a federal law, although states may have additional regulations that complement or expand on HIPAA requirements.

D. “A client’s address would be an example of personally identifiable information.”
This statement is correct. A client’s address is considered personally identifiable information under HIPAA.

In summary, statement A is the one that indicates a misunderstanding of HIPAA’s confidentiality requirements and needs further teaching.