1 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A Y 2 0 1 9
HIPAA COMPLIANCE
Call for Patients by Number, Not by Name
W
hen patients show up
for surgery, our front
desk
receptionist hands
them a numbered tag
and writes the num-
ber on the envelope
in which we keep their
perioperative paperwork.
Nurses call out the number
instead of patients' first
names in the waiting
room when it's time to
bring them back for
surgery. Family mem-
bers hold onto the tags
while they wait; we use the same
number to call them to join their
loved ones in recovery. At discharge, patients turn in the tags, which
we wipe down and bring back to the front desk. We ordered 160 plas-
tic tags for $20 from a business supply catalog (uline.com) and
bought loose-leaf binder rings for about 50 cents each to make the
rings easier to hold.
Linda Frix, RN, BSN, CAPA
Northern Virginia Surgery Center
Fairfax, Va.
lfrix@fairokssc.com
• UP NEXT Call out numbers instead of names in the waiting
room.
Northern
Virginia
Surgery
Center
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