How to Report a Pharmacist Who Broke a HIPAA Law

Unauthorized disclosure of your medications violates HIPAA.

If you think your pharmacist has violated the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects health information privacy, you may file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. Your complaint must be in writing, by mail, fax or email. You must name the pharmacist and the acts you consider to be violation of HIPAA laws. Your complaint must be filed within 180 days of learning of the violation, although the deadline may be extended if there is a good reason to do so.

Instructions

1. Download the Health Information Privacy Complaint Form Package from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website. The package is listed under Resources. You may also call an Office of Civil Rights regional office to have one sent to you. A list of regional offices is found on the HHS website, or you may email [e-mail].

2. Complete the Health Information Privacy Complaint Form Package. The package asks for complete contact information for you and the pharmacist. You must also detail how the pharmacist violated your HIPAA rights. Be sure to sign the consent form and make a copy of the complete package for your records. Failing to sign the consent form may result in your case not being investigated.

3. Submit your complaint package to the Office of Civil Rights in the region where the HIPAA violation allegedly occurred. A list of regional offices and their mailing addresses is contained in the complaint package. You can also fax or email your complaint package to the appropriate regional OCR office. Fax numbers and email addresses are also included in the complaint package. The OCR investigates your complaint and notifies you of the results.

References

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Health Privacy--How to File a Complaint

Resources

• Office of Civil Rights: Health Information Complaint Form Package