Can Therapists Call Out The Names Of Patients In Their Waiting Rooms?

This question was originally posted on Quora.com and was answered by Sophie Gwinn



Whether a therapy office, physicians office, dental office, it really doesn’t matter. Privacy (HIPAA) laws now dictate that revealing identifying information about your patients/clients to others is unlawful.

Years ago in the hospital central registration office that I worked in (which included ER and admitting) we used a numbered ticket taker. People kind of felt like they were at the meat market, and they weren’t sure whether they were the customer or the cattle. While at the same time, the doctors and dentists offices were still using a pad of paper and pen for everyone to sign their name on…for the next people to see (I still see these, and I still cringe).

Most larger hospitals now use an electronic system to call you in for full registration. Like the little buzzer disc that goes off when it’s your turn to be seated at Olive Garden, etc. Offices or smaller central registrations in hospitals will use an electronic signature pad, and then call FIRST NAME ONLY, when it’s your turn. At my therapists office, they know me. I go up to the counter, they ‘check me in’ and when my therapist is ready he just walks out to find me. I see him and go. No words need to be spoken at all.

Under no circumstances should someones full name be loudly announced in a waiting room for all to hear. That is a breach of privacy.

The catch 22 here is that…the smaller town offices have the least capital to convert to a more private electronic way of handling this, and yet…these are the places where everyone knows everyone elses names, etc…and the privacy is needed the most.

If your full name is ever used in a waiting area, kindly remind them that you’re uncomfortable about this, and they lawfully need to come up with more private ways to call patients back. If it happens a 2nd time, ask to speak to the office manager and tell them that they are violating privacy, not just yours but everyones, by their way of calling out full names. If they don’t fix it, you could technically report them and you really don’t want to.

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