Am I Required to Comply with HIPAA? ALL of It???
Not too long ago, I conducted a workshop on telehealth. During the Q & A period at the end, a woman said that she had been told she was exempt from HIPAA and wanted to check with me to see if that was true. I was caught off guard. I used to get that question a lot, but I hadn’t heard it for a while, so it took me a moment to gather my wits. Finally I said, “Do you only use landlines when talking with your patients?” She replied that she did. I continued, “And are they always only on landlines as well?” She assured me that they were. “And you’re not doing any video sessions, only in person?” That was true, too. My last question was, “And I assume you don’t take insurance at all, that you’re only private pay?” She was. I replied, “Ok, then yes, I guess you’re fine. No need to worry about HIPAA.”
She left relieved. I left unsure of my answer.