By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress management for healthcare workers
    3 Tips For Healthcare Professionals: How To Stay Beautiful, Healthy, and Happy
    November 2, 2021
    importance of relaxing on the weekend for your health
    Importance of Relaxing During the Weekend for Optimal Health
    March 25, 2022
    LASIK Eye Surgery
    What Is LASIK Eye Surgery?
    May 16, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
    September 10, 2025
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    New Research on ACOs and the Accountable Care Opportunity
    July 31, 2013
    Mobile Health Around the Globe: Apps on Health Storified
    March 19, 2012
    cigna
    Cigna’s Decision on Genetic Testing Exposes Educational Gaps in Today’s Healthcare
    August 21, 2013
    Latest News
    Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
    September 9, 2025
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Are Those Cute Baby Pictures in the Doctor’s Office Offending HIPAA?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Are Those Cute Baby Pictures in the Doctor’s Office Offending HIPAA?
BusinessHospital AdministrationMedical EthicsMedical RecordsPolicy & LawSocial Media

Are Those Cute Baby Pictures in the Doctor’s Office Offending HIPAA?

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Share
5 Min Read
baby pictures
SHARE

baby picturesBaby pictures have a nearly universal “human touch” appeal. On the social media scale of cuteness, engagement and share-ability, babies, kids and grandkids are right up there in popularity with images of “grumpy cat,” playful puppy dogs, and ice bucket videos.

baby picturesBaby pictures have a nearly universal “human touch” appeal. On the social media scale of cuteness, engagement and share-ability, babies, kids and grandkids are right up there in popularity with images of “grumpy cat,” playful puppy dogs, and ice bucket videos.

But evidently “cute” has its limits when baby pictures are publically posted—as they commonly are—in doctors’ offices. “The “baby wall” at obstetricians’ and midwives’ offices is gradually going the way of cigars in the waiting room,” reports The New York Times, “because of the federal patient privacy law known as HIPAA.”

Provisions of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 are intended to protect confidentiality and security of healthcare information. And as silly as this story sounds, it seems that HIPAA, has no sense of humor. In fact, the Times headline says baby pictures at the doctor’s office are: “Cute, Sure, but Illegal.”

More Read

Why Is a Referenced Based Pricing Tool Necessary?
A Few Notes on Hospitals, and US Health Care Spending
Online Healthcare Discussions 98% Patient or Caregiver Driven
3 Ways Physicians Can Increase Their Social Media Following
Tattering the Safety Net

You’ve got to be kidding, right? Well…no.

We’re not offering legal advice here, but we’ve heard reactions to this HIPAA interpretation ranging from “unintended consequences” to “ridiculous” and “silly, silly, silly.” Parents commonly submit “new baby” pictures, and no violations or complaints were reported in the Times article.

Neverthelesss, “Pictures of smiling babies crowd a bulletin board in a doctor’s office in Midtown Manhattan, in a collage familiar to anyone who has given birth,” according to the Times article. “But the women coming in to have babies of their own cannot see them. They have been moved to a private part of the office, replaced in the corridors with abstract art.

“Under the law…baby photos are a type of protected health information, no less than a medical chart, birth date or Social Security number, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Even if a parent sends in the photo, it is considered private unless the parent also sends written authorization for posting, which almost no one does.”

If you have a concern about this in your office, you’ll want to check with the compliance officer or your legal counsel. And since we’re not attorneys, we asked our friend, Kathleen Juniper—an experienced health care attorney Of Counsel at the BuchalterNemer firm—for her reaction.

Endearing and adorable don’t tip the legal scales with privacy. “I have to agree with the government for the most part, on this one,” Kathleen told us. “Authorization is necessary where disclosure is made to the public, where the clinic/doctor takes the photo, or a photo is sent in for a purpose related to the baby’s health care. Even though there are no names attached to the photos [presumably], someone could nonetheless identify a baby and subsequently disclose the information publicly.”

One solution might be to reference “baby pictures” as a matter of the doctor or clinic’s policy, and include particulars in the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices. And even then, the issue may not be entirely clear-cut. What about Christmas cards sent from the parents that include baby or family and are commonly displayed in the clinic?

If you have a question about the permissible use of photos in medical marketing—baby pictures or otherwise—the safe course is to check with your attorney. Situations and particulars can vary, but the use of photos in advertising, marketing or similar public display, are traditionally covered by specific, written permission, usually in the form of a photo or model release form.

The Times article points to several professional offices where, baby boards and pictures have been removed. This interpretation of the regulations may or may not be up to a legal test, but doctors’ offices seem to be “playing it safe” and replacing baby pictures with inoffensive, and emotionally neutral, artwork.

We’d love to hear what you think? Is this an issue in your office?

TAGGED:HIPAAmidwivespatient privacyphysician offices
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

ACA Contraception Coverage Offers Faith Groups Olive Branch

February 2, 2013

Imaging Startup Developing Cheaper, Simpler PET Scanning in Preclinical Research

November 12, 2013

Unnecessary Health Care Expenditures

September 13, 2012
The door to a hospital
BusinesseHealthSocial Media

Optimizing Your Hospital’s Online Presence: Structure Your Website in Accordance with SEO Best Practices

March 2, 2016
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?