Did I violate HIPAA?

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ridealonghippaviolation

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Not even an EMT yet but just finished my ride alongs.

One of my co-workers was hit by a car when riding her bike over a week ago and will be staying at a rehabilitation center for at least a week. It's posted all over facebook by her and her friends, pictures of her at the facility and all that. This is not what I'm worried about.

What I am worried about: I tell people that I work with "Oh, we picked up a patient from that same facility the other day to take them to a medical appointment. Seems like a nice facility. I'm sure they'll take great care of our co-worker."

Did I violate HIPAA by disclosing that when on a ride along, a patient was picked up for a medical appointment from the same facility where my co-worker is now staying?
 
ridealonghippaviolation said:
Not even an EMT yet but just finished my ride alongs.

One of my co-workers was hit by a car when riding her bike over a week ago and will be staying at a rehabilitation center for at least a week. It's posted all over facebook by her and her friends, pictures of her at the facility and all that. This is not what I'm worried about.

What I am worried about: I tell people that I work with "Oh, we picked up a patient from that same facility the other day to take them to a medical appointment. Seems like a nice facility. I'm sure they'll take great care of our co-worker."

Did I violate HIPAA by disclosing that when on a ride along, a patient was picked up for a medical appointment from the same facility where my co-worker is now staying?
Click to expand...
No.
 
I am not a lawyer, but it does not appear so. HIPAA protects personally identifiable information, so if all you said was really a patient, then there is no way to know which patient you are talking about. Furthermore, I don't know about how HIPAA applies to co-workers since they are also medical providers.
 
I currently work in a non-medical field so my co-worker is not a medical provider. And all the information that I shared about her and her bike crash has been shared a hundred times over on facebook, in our company email, on our company white board, etc. etc. And I wasn't her provider in any part of this, only her friend and co-worker.

Thanks for the info.
 
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