CVS Pharmacy Technician Certification Practice Test

Which scenario illustrates a violation of HIPAA?

1. A patient discusses her prescription with a friend

2. A pharmacist discusses a patient's care with their doctor

3. A patient overhears a private conversation in the pharmacy

4. A pharmacist provides a patient profile to an unauthorized individual

The correct answer is: A pharmacist provides a patient profile to an unauthorized individual

The scenario that illustrates a violation of HIPAA involves a pharmacist providing a patient profile to an unauthorized individual. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is designed to protect patient privacy and ensure that sensitive health information is not disclosed without proper authorization. The act mandates that healthcare professionals maintain the confidentiality of patient records and only share them with authorized personnel who require the information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. In this case, sharing a patient profile, which contains personal and health information, with someone who is not authorized to receive it would breach HIPAA regulations. This ensures that patient privacy is upheld, and unauthorized disclosures could lead to legal consequences for the healthcare provider involved. In contrast, other scenarios—such as a patient discussing their prescription with a friend, a pharmacist speaking with a doctor about a patient's care, or a patient overhearing a conversation—do not constitute direct violations of HIPAA in the same manner. While the latter situations may exhibit privacy concerns, they do not involve the unauthorized release of protected health information in the way that sharing a patient profile with an unauthorized individual does.