Question: Have you yourself been vaccinated? Greene: Your first question is a violation of my HIPAA rights pic.twitter.com/JuHDovV2mC — Acyn (@Acyn) July 20, 2021
Is asking someone's vaccination status a HIPAA rights violation? The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, and health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically. It enables patients from having sensitive medical information disclosed without their consent or knowledge. An individual's vaccination status comes within the "provision of care" classification of health information that should be protected when it is combined with other identifying personal details (eg. name, social security number, etc.) Protected health information is referred to as PHI. Vaccination information comes under the category of PHI and is covered by the HIPAA Rules. However, HIPAA applies only to HIPAA-covered agencies, which are healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses – and their business associates. An employer asking an employee about their vaccination status or a reporter asking a political figure/celebrity about their vaccination status is not a HIPAA violation.