A fifty-year-old man who is a victim in an automobile accident has been rushed to the emergency room. A reporter calls and asks a vague question about “the man in the accident.” Which of the following may the hospital do?

Under HIPAA, a hospital may generally share limited directory information, such as a patient’s location or general condition, when the person asking identifies the patient by name and the patient has not opted out. The reporter’s vague question does not identify the man by name, so the hospital may not confirm his condition or location. The correct choice is “Confirm nothing.”

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