Doctors office using FRS

[Confuzzled]

Are we supposed to expect physicians and Rn's and their staff to be communication consultants too?

To some degree, yes. They should know what not to do.

I still can't figure out why they would use this as opposed to a wired intercom system.

 

[DotNM]

While I see and to some degree, agree (did I really say that?) Are we supposed to expect physicians and Rn's and their staff to be communication consultants too? I'd be impressed if any of them knew the difference between GMRS, FRS or LTR technology. It's possible they consider the frs radios in the same light as they do with their smartphones, simply assuming they are secure in the way they perform.
But yes ... anyone parked outside with a radio, a recorder has means to note pertinent info mentioned on the air.

73,
n9zas

They should not be assuming anything. If they don't know or are not sure, they should be hiring a qualified consultant or contractor to implement the radio system on licensed frequencies with encryption, etc.

 

[gewecke]

They should not be assuming anything. If they don't know or are not sure, they should be hiring a qualified consultant or contractor to implement the radio system on licensed frequencies with encryption, etc.

Agreed.

73 & Happy Holidays,
n9zas

 

[FLA2760]

I often hear medical offices on the FRS frequencies here , as well as a nursing home that is close to my subdivision.

 

[rapidcharger]

Most of what I hear on FRS is young children playing cops and robbers, singing and making kiddy noises/vocalizations. Hard to imagine someone turning on an FRS radio around here and saying "yeah this is a good place to conduct our business communications."

 

[SCPD]

FRS for business

Most of what I hear on FRS is young children playing cops and robbers, singing and making kiddy noises/vocalizations. Hard to imagine someone turning on an FRS radio around here and saying "yeah this is a good place to conduct our business communications."

We use FRS for some comms.
We are using 16 channel Moto radios programmed to a few FRS freqs, along with the 12 freqs we are licensed for. We use the FRS freqs for jobs that will have a lot of back and forth chat going on. The FRS freqs we are using are programmed with a DPL on the RX and TX. So we wouldn't hear any kids or anything like that.

 

[searingxheretic]

I'm not a lawyer but I would think that using frs or other public commas would violate hippa privacy laws concerning conversations about patients if specific information about patients or diagnosis is being shared over frs. If they are not specifically discussing patients and are using them for general conversation like "nurse come to room 1" then it should be fine.

Sent from my cm_tenderloin

 

[n7lxi]

I think the OP should show up at the doctors office with a bubble pack radio and explain that this information is listenable all over the place. No need to be all "radio cop". Just a polite conversation with the office manager will probably fix it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Sorry for any spelling errors.

 

[rapidcharger]

The next time they do that, Why don't you break in and say "I'm sorry, could you please repeat the social security number one more time... I'm trying to fill out an application for an Amex card and my pen died"

 

[mike_gain]

Hey, the "Affordable Healthcare" has a drive thru!! Extra hot sauce please.

 

[quarterwave]

The Doc's office that did not like competing with my repeater, moved to .575 (another GMRS freq and illegal for them to use) a while back. But, with "their" knowledge of what they were doing, they did not move because of what they could hear, or knowing there was a co-channel user, they moved be because "someone was causing THEM interference on THEIR channel which they could not hear or understand, they just know they were trying to talk and would get covered up, randomly" So they changed to another "channel". They have no clue to are illegal.

Aside from that, now another Doc somewhere about a 1/2 mile down the business strip is using 575 too, but apparently they are both far enough from each other, and on different PL's, they don't walk on each other and don't seem to know each other exist.

Since they moved, I hear them on the scanner, but I haven't done anything else to try to enlighten them, they don't know, and I don't think they care. They figure if they could buy it, it must be legal. Guess I need to go light some fireworks off in their lobby....what? It was legal for me to buy it, so I can use it as I please, right? LOL.

I have never worried about hearing anyone else on a channel I use (I know they are not MY channels) I run PL/DPL and I just do what I want (I do monitor and watch for busy lights). I have never had another legit, licensed user in my area using same channel at same time as me. If I did, and they had a call sign, I would certainly share. I don't channel hog. Now, if you are illegal...I couldn't care less about you.

 

[cdesigns]

I used to work for a Pharmacy and Doctor offices group, and ANY patient information needs to be private 24/7, its illegal to say anything about the patient thru non-secure 2 way radios, using (hotmail, yahoo, gmail) email accounts, etc etc. Patient information should be keep private, you can't leave the desk with patient information on the screen while you go to a coffe break or bathroom break, and most places are using dropbox to put patient information for easy access from other offices and that's illegal too. Hippa is not a joke.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Most of the things mentioned above are not "illegal." They are just poor practice.

"Hippa" is a joke, by the way. It referst to an animal that thinks everything is illegal. HIPAA is the law.

 

[nd5y]

I its illegal to say anything about the patient thru non-secure 2 way radios,

You should thell that to the federal government.
Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule require hospitals and doctors' offices to be retrofitted, to provide private rooms, and soundproof walls to avoid any possibility that a conversation is overheard?
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/incidentalu&d.pdf

For example, the Privacy Rule does not require the following types of structural or systems changes:
Private rooms.
Soundproofing of rooms.
Encryption of wireless or other emergency medical radio communications which can be intercepted by scanners.
Encryption of telephone systems.

Covered entities must implement reasonable safeguards to limit incidental, and avoid prohibited, uses and disclosures. The Privacy Rule does not require that all risk of protected health information disclosure be eliminated.

 

[cdesigns]

HIPPA doesnt give warnings, they will fine you and if the patient knows about the situation they can sue and win. In my old work Pharmacy + Doctor office group, if you need it to talk about patient information you had to talk on the phone or via the company encrypted email, you could not even use the standard company email and much less a gmail or hotmail account.

I was an IT guy and even me since I wasnt a registered nurse or pharmacy tech I was unable to resolve medical software problems, my boss was the only one allowed to fix those problems.

 

[JoeyC]

Since HIPPA is in no law or rule book anywhere, I doubt anyone could sue anyone under it.
It would benefit many to read the Question and Answer given by the US Department of Health and Human Services (posted in post #54 above) on the matter of overheard conversations as it relates to HIPAA

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)

I think it should be noted that FRS/GMRS/MURS are not considered "emergency medical radio communications". Therefore it would at least be bad business practice, if not a violation of office/hospital policy/guidelines to broadcast patient information.

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)

It may not violate federal HIPAA regulations, but it could violate state law and/or the policies/regulations of hospitals, doctor's offices, public fire departments/rescue squads, and private EMS providers.

 

[AK9R]

Lest anyone think that HIPAA, often incorrectly referred to as HIPPA, is not the law of the land, Public Law 104-191, aka HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1996, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 28, 1996, passed the U.S. Senate on April 23, 1996, signed into law August 21, 1996.

 

[DaveNF2G]

I think we are fully aware that HIPAA is the law. The problem is that not many people know what this law actually says.