Which of the following is not a HIPAA violation? You observe a gunshot victim being brought into the ER. You discuss the patient's condition with?

• A. The patient's physician
• B. No one
• C. The patient's family
• D. The media

Answer: (B)

HIPAA privacy centers on sharing protected health information only with people who need it for the patient’s care or who have proper authorization. In an ER, information is typically shared with the care team to treat the patient, and in some cases with family if appropriate and authorized. The media is never permitted to receive PHI.

The reason the option of not discussing the patient’s condition with anyone is the best choice here is that it avoids disclosing PHI to any unauthorized party. By withholding information, you aren’t sharing PHI with people outside the allowed scope, which keeps you out of HIPAA trouble. In real-life practice, disclosures to the treating team are standard and appropriate, and to family or others only under proper authorization or emergency policy, while the media should be avoided. The key takeaway is to guard PHI and disclose only to authorized individuals for legitimate purposes.