Title: Maintain patient, business, and personal confidentiality.
Course: Pharmacy Technician I (14152-I) > Section: Communicating in the Pharmacy Setting

Maintenance should reflect knowledge of the importance of

- following HIPAA requirements for confidentiality
- limiting non-clinical information
- keeping all client information, professional pharmacy conversations, or transactions confidential
- limiting conversations in the pharmacy to a minimum as necessary when performing duties or tasks
- ensuring that conversations with patients are not overheard
- adhering to HIPAA national standards for private and secure healthcare transactions.

See ASHP 2.2.

Code of Virginia Statutes Related to Pharmacy Technicians: Va. Code §32.1-127.1:03 — Patient health records privacy

Process/Skill Questions:

- When should a pharmacy technician involve a pharmacist to answer patient questions?
- How is it possible to converse with a physician’s office so that other customers or non-health care providers do not overhear?
- How can a patient be harmed by a pharmacy employee’s breach of confidentiality?
- How are situations in which a pharmacy employee has breached patient confidentiality handled?
- What are the ethical and legal implications of breaching patient confidentiality?
- What is the importance of HIPAA for the pharmacy customer, the pharmacy, and customer service staff?