To avoid any legal issues when trying to contact patients to schedule appointments, the healthcare provider should develop a policy documenting the procedure with specific instructions as to what information can be left in a message and train employees to check for patient contact directives regarding who can be contacted. HIPAA Privacy Rule training, which covers the usage and disclosure of PHI, should be included in the new hire orientation training for schedulers and in the mandatory yearly compliance training. Policies and procedures for obtaining patient contact information when registering new patients and updating patient contact information for return patients should be also be included in the training.
