Photos of shark victim underscore threat from cell phone cameras

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) might not specifically address cell phone cameras, but if your staff takes unauthorized photos with their cell phones, they (and you and your facility) likely will be in violation of HIPAA, say legal experts. HIPAA can extend to pictures taken of patients if the information on that picture identifies the individual. New laws on electronic personal health information increase penalties for violations. The surest way to prevent violations is to prohibit cell phone camera use in the ED.