Pharmacy Chain Institutes New Safeguards for PHI in Pseudoephedrine Log Books
Pharmacy Chain Institutes New Safeguards for PHI in Pseudoephedrine Log Books
Covered Entity: Pharmacies
Issue: Safeguards
A grocery store based pharmacy chain maintained pseudoephedrine log
books containing protected health information in a manner so that
individual protected health information was visible to the public at the
pharmacy counter. Initially, the pharmacy chain refused to acknowledge
that the log books contained protected health information. OCR issued a
written analysis and a demand for compliance. Among other corrective
actions to resolve the specific issues in the case, OCR required that
the pharmacy chain implement national policies and procedures to
safeguard the log books. Moreover, the entity was required to train of
all staff on the revised policy. The chain acknowledged that log books
contained protected health information and implemented the required
changes.
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| Can a covered entity refuse to disclose ePHI to an app chosen by an individual because of concerns about how the app will use or disclose the ePHI it receives? No. The HIPAA Privacy Rule generally prohibits a covered entity from refusing to disclose ePHI to a third-party app designated by the individual if the ePHI is readily producible in the form and format used by the app. See 45 CFR 164.524(a)(1), (c)(2)(ii), (c)(3)(ii). The HIPAA Rules do not impose any restrictions on how an individual or the individual’s designee, such as an app, may use the health information ...read more |
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