Doctors office using FRS

[W9NES]

I carry a FRS Radio Shack mobile in my car with me all the time and it SCANS all 14 FRS channels. This past week I heard a docotrs office using FRS radios telling the doctors that patients are on the way back to them to see them. These nurse and the doctor are giving out patients social security numbers. My wife works in a hospital for a Indianapolis local hospital. I told her about this and she said this violates the HIPPA rule for health care.Doctors cannot give out this infomation. I believe that the doctors office in question in not aware that these radios are not "Secure" radios. If you are using FRS in a mobile or a FRS Handheld put the radio on SCAN and listen to all 14 channels. I have heard a lot of people using FRS for business, ect. I have heard our local TACO BELL using them telling people in the drive thru that the chalupas are ready. I also have heard a local school with teachers watching children during the morning drop off and the evening pick up of the kids in the drop off area for kids You never know what you are going to hear on FRS !!!!

 

[Thayne]

Keep listening; the Doctors may start describing the patients' Chalupas----

 

[DaveNF2G]

HIPAA does not cover two-way radio. However, this doctor's office is not using technology very wisely.

Do you plan to inform the office in question of this problem?

 

[RKG]

HIPAA does not cover two-way radio. However, this doctor's office is not using technology very wisely. . . .

I'd be interested in the citation or analysis that leads to this conclusion.

 

[W9NES]

Any patient infomation that is given out with out the written ok of the patient is in violation of the HIPPA rule. The infomation is being transmitted out to the general public by a two way radio. I have the doctors name and will be getting more infomation before I call them. These doctors office does not think about using the radios. These radios are not secure in any means. Sounds like the doctors office is not aware that these radios can be heard outside their building. Very funny that the local Taco Bell is using FRS for the drive thru."The chalupas are ready how many do you need"?

 

[PrimeNumber]

I believe that the doctors office in question in not aware that these radios are not "Secure" radios.

Maybe they thought it was OK because they were using privacy codes...? Wouldn't be the first time I'd heard of such nonsense.

 

[JASII]

Doctors Office Using FRS

I wonder why they are using that instead of just the telephone. Now if they were using Motorola DTR550s, it would be much more difficult to monitor.

 

[quarterwave]

HIPAA does not cover two-way radio. However, this doctor's office is not using technology very wisely.

Do you plan to inform the office in question of this problem?

Wrong. Transmission of the information in any "clear" medium is not allowed. Ask your state dept of health about it.

 

[quarterwave]

There is a Dr near me that uses 462.550 PL 67.0 all day long...if you were into fraud and such, It would be like Christmas for Criminals.

The bottom line is ignorance. They just don't think about what they are doing, and they know nothing about radio. Most of the time, it is an ill informed office manager who makes the decision, and Dr doesn't even know they are endangering their business.

Call your State Health Dept and report it.

 

[JoeyC]

They're using the radios like a mobile intercom. I've worked and been in several medical offices that do this. I've seen no harm and certainly no HIPAA violations. As far as giving out SSNs over the radio, I can't imagine any useful purpose in doing that over FRS in a medical office. I would guess those numbers heard have some other significance. Hearing "You can send Mr Smith back to room 2" is not a HIPAA violation.

 

[JnglMassiv]

As far as giving out SSNs over the radio, I can't imagine any useful purpose in doing that over FRS in a medical office. I would guess those numbers heard have some other significance..

I was wondering the same thing. Is there a legitimate reason to use SS numbers in a medical setting?

 

[quarterwave]

You guys seem to be putting your faith into the capacity of people who bought radios without a clue how and in what medium they worked, or whether they need a license, who might be listening, etc, etc, etc...to determine each and every time how much or what info they can transmit and can't to avoid a legal issue.

They are clueless...Iv'e been down this road. When asked if they had a GMRS license to use 462.550...the people in the office I described said "get off my headset, jerk, you're not allowed to use our channel, we paid for it".

When it sounds like they are using cheap, bubble pack combo radios, with roger beeps and call alerts...it's because they are, and without a license.

 

[Dude111]

HIPAA does not cover two-way radio. However, this doctor's office is not using technology very wisely

No they are stupid for giving personal info such as an SS# over something like that!!

 

[W9NES]

I have also been hearing patients names, social secirity numbers, and today I heard a doctor tell a nurse to call in a prescription for a durg with the milagram. He also told the nurse that the medication was Viarga and he told the nurse he wanted to see the patient again in another month. The doctor asked the nurse to see up a appontment time and date next month for the patient.

 

[redneckcellphone]

If your erection lasts more than 4 hours... Haha. as security guards we used frs radios a the health center but never heard dr offices using them.


Sent from my iPhone yes iPhone using Tapatalk app thingy

 

[JoeyC]

Tell us, in what context are you hearing them use social security numbers?

 

[W9NES]

When the nurse tells the doctor that a patient is on the way back and they will be in room 2. Infomation on the paient given ot on the radio in this order. Name, SSN, DOB, what meds the patient is taking and what the patient is seeing the doctor for for todays visit. FRS radios are being used for a lot of things now. FRS is being used for Crime Watch, fast food drive thru, department stories, hardware stores, car dealers, etc. If you have a SCAN feature to scan all 14 channels try it. You never know what you are going to hear on FRS !!!!

 

[Jimru]

I have all FRS, GMRS and the "Color Dot" and "Star" channels plugged into one bank of my scanner.

Wherever I go, I hear all kinds of business chatter, which I find interesting. I have never heard a doctor's office, however!

 

[DaveNF2G]

Lawyers will tell you that HIPAA prohibits all sorts of things, but the actual statute is not that broad. Lawyers get paid to think up creative ways to deprive other parties of their money, and to prevent other parties from getting money from their clients. The resulting abuses of the courts have produced vast overexpansions of real and imagined regulation.

 

[MTS2000des]

When the nurse tells the doctor that a patient is on the way back and they will be in room 2. Infomation on the paient given ot on the radio in this order. Name, SSN, DOB, what meds the patient is taking and what the patient is seeing the doctor for for todays visit. FRS radios are being used for a lot of things now. FRS is being used for Crime Watch, fast food drive thru, department stories, hardware stores, car dealers, etc. If you have a SCAN feature to scan all 14 channels try it. You never know what you are going to hear on FRS !!!!

coming from someone who works in a hospital that is nationally recognized by JCOH, all personal health information (PHI) must be protected whenever possible, and only given to others on a need to know basis. This includes discussing it publicly or in places WHERE OTHERS CAN INTERCEPT it. HIPAA does provide exclusions for certain settings, such as ER's where it isn't practical or possible to have a private "one on one" with a health care giver, or on the scene of a trauma incident, MCI, etc.

However, using an open, public broadcasting unsecured communication device for daily communications is clear and blatant negligence. Not to mention it may violate your state's statutes as well. A JCOH visit to this facility would find them in violation. You can't even leave patient census forms laying around, let alone anything with detailed PHI on it.

Here's what I would do: Record this traffic (which you are free to do, as FRS is considered 100 percent public) and pass it onto the local media and the agencies responsible, make an official complaint to them and I GUARANTEE it will stop.

This is about the WORST thing any health care provider can do is leave PHI laying around or broadcast it over open airwaves, especially on unlicensed radio services that anyone can intercept. If I were a patient and I found out my provider put my PHI over an unencrypted medium, radio, computer or written, I would sue them faster than you can say "privacy disclosure".

Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule