If You Are Renting Space with Another Practice

To save costs while starting a business, practices may sublease or share space with another practice. This may involve subleasing an entire office space or renting a room from another practice. However, subleasing or renting a room carries legal risks and additional compliance considerations. This blog covers several compliance concerns if you are subleasing space from another practice or renting space from another practice. If you are starting a practice or med spa and plan to sublease or rent space from another practice, or would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

Providers Need to Comply with HIPAA and Ensure Their Patient Information Is Not Shared with the Practice in the Same Space.

HIPAA requires practitioners to safeguard patient information. The HIPAA Security Rule has requirements for sharing spaces with other medical practices, and these requirements include not disclosing patient information to the other practice and ensuring each practice has a separate system to maintain patient information. Another requirement is that the practice must have policies and procedures to safeguard patient information, which can range from not discussing patient information with the other practice to ensuring each practice has separate payment systems.

Providers Should Also Make Clear that Their Practice Is Separate and Different from the Other Practice with Whom It Is Sharing Space.

Patient information can be compromised if two practices share the same receptionist area, where patients divulge that they are member of one practice, but the receptionist is an employee of the other practice. Practices that share space with another practice should have policies and procedures in place to ensure patients are clearly directed to the subleased room and that employees in shared spaces, such as receptionists, tell patients that employees of one practice cannot help or discuss matters with patients of another practice.

If you are starting a practice or med spa and plan to sublease or rent space from another practice or would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

 

 

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