hearing tests &HIPAA

Whatever

Next week, we are giving the annual hearing tests. The company we are using changed their questionnaire and procedures. In the past, people turned in their questionnaire when they took the test. This year, the testing company wants someone at this company to collect the questionnaires and send them back to the testing company the day before the testing happens. The problem is that the questionnaire asks medical questions. I don't want to collect the questionnaires for obvious reasons. The testing company is insisting that this is the norm. What should I do?

mushroomHR

Whatever information you receive in the course of employment does not fall under HIPAA. If you were receiving this information from the insurance company it would be a different matter. If the employee is voluntarily giving you this information collect the forms and send them to the testing company and don't breathe a word about what an employee has divulged.

Betty I_O

If you feel uncomfortable about possibly seeing something about an employee's medical condition on a completed questionnaire, you may want to supply an envelope in which the employee can put their competed questionnaire. They then can return it to HR in the sealed envelope without anyone seeing their responses.

Don D

I do the same thing. I pass out the questionnaire the morning of the exam and collect them and give them to the guy on the test truck. It's not covered by HIPAA prohibitions, but it doesn't really reveal any medical information anyway. Its more like have you had a cold recently, have you been around loud noises in the past week or so, are you exposed to loud machinery at work? These questionnaires ultimately will wind up with the medical doctor who reviews (only) those results that must be logged on your OSHA form.

Whatever

If the questionnaire was simply about colds, being near loud noises etc, I wouldn't care. However, it asks about diabetes, heart problems, what prescription drugs you are on and why. In any case, I have decided to distribute the questionnaire with envelopes. Thanx for the help.

Don D

Regardless, it's not a HIPAA issue.

Pork

WHATEVER: I am surprised at your post, "hearing test" for a company would, most likely, come under Safety issues and OSHA which is not covered under HIPAA law. Take your medical information pertaining to the hearing test and file it in your company medical files by alphabet and forget about it. Unless, however, this is special employee benefit and the company is paying then you would have to treat it as HIPAA information.

PORK

Don D

Pork: I am surprised at YOUR post. This is not a benefit. This is a requirement of OSHA when noise levels in parts of a business environment reach a certain decibal level and a worker is exposed to that level on a certain continual basis. I would have thought for sure the decibal level of 700 squealing piglets with their tails being pulled would approximate that of a trainer jet down south of you at the Meridian Naval Air Station.

Pork

"Dandy Don" 700??????? that is just 1 1/2 rooms. There is upwards of 1000 piglets shipped each week, so there is 8 rooms each containing 500 "piglets" and 48 sows in each of 8 rooms for one barn. You can bet the noise level is very high and from 7:05 to 7:15 AM the noise level on the farm is painful and exceeds the OSHA allowed standard, but that is only for 10 minutes.

That was one of the first OSHA safety issues I jumped on and thought I had a major problem. When our state OSHA inspectors came on a courteous call they too thought they had an area of concern. We had to wear their monitors for 8 hours for three days, which was conclusive for the level of decibels, but not for the sustained 30 minute minimum. Once each gets to eating there are only low grunts and then snores heard, until the big boar walks the line, he is so ugly but the girls seem to love him and the noise level will once again rise, but not long for it only takes 10 minutes to artificial inseminate. But the boar and the sow are still excitied and talking to each other, but that is as far as it goes.

PORK