Apa not disclosing covid19 infected players???

trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
This is completely pool related.

APA NOT DISCLOSING KNOWN COVID19 INFECTED PLAYERS??? Basically the local APA Operator is saying he does not have to tell anyone who they are.

What do people think about this? Claiming Hipaa as a means to not disclose?? Lets hear what all you fine AZB'ers think!

TFT
 

MattPoland

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
HIPAA doesn’t apply to him. I would think he has a social obligation if he becomes aware of a COVID positive player to participate in some contact tracing. Any team that was exposed to the player should be required to sit out a quarantine period and potentially get tested. I would consider offering rescheduling options for those matches. I think he has the discretion whether to disclose the person’s name. In his shoes, I would not.


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Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This happened here in Boise also. Had to cancel 2 weeks of league because 2 players tested positive. At first I was a little pissed but then I was informed that all the people who played with them were notified.

It would've been nice to know who it was when it happened (I now know) but as long as anyone who could've been affected is informed then that's good with me.
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
This is completely pool related.

APA NOT DISCLOSING KNOWN COVID19 INFECTED PLAYERS??? Basically the local APA Operator is saying he does not have to tell anyone who they are.

What do people think about this? Claiming Hipaa as a means to not disclose?? Lets hear what all you fine AZB'ers think!

TFT

HIPPA Violation to tell, could be costly if they gave out personal medical info.

ChopDoc, aka SawDeTheBone I am sure would agree. Wonder if he is busy chopping of limb on trees, or people?
 

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You have to dig deeper though.
If an entity can be held liable for information, it must have an entitlement to the information.

I seriously doubt any agreement between the apa and it's players had either the foresight to contractually require players to disclose infectious disease, or the right to know anything about its participants' personal health information.

I find in favor of the defendant.
 

MattPoland

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
HIPPA Violation to tell, could be costly if they gave out personal medical info.

ChopDoc, aka SawDeTheBone I am sure would agree. Wonder if he is busy chopping of limb on trees, or people?


HIPAA only applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers. If you tell your medical history to the public (a league operator), they have no legal obligation to keep secret what you already disclosed.


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TATE

AzB Gold Mensch
Silver Member
This is completely pool related.

APA NOT DISCLOSING KNOWN COVID19 INFECTED PLAYERS??? Basically the local APA Operator is saying he does not have to tell anyone who they are.

What do people think about this? Claiming Hipaa as a means to not disclose?? Lets hear what all you fine AZB'ers think!

TFT

No it's not up to them. If I were league operator I would encourage the individuals who tested positive to let the other players know. If your area has contact tracing, if you were within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more, that is considered close contact and you should be contacted to quarantine and/or get tested. If you play pool now, this is something you are willing to risk, simple as that.
 
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muskyed

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Wife has over 35 years in nursing, some as a nurse, some teaching nursing, and remainder in nursing management. Cannot disclose the persons name, but have the duty to inform all those in contact. lets face it, on something such as a pool league, people will end up piecing it together anyway, in time.
 

evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
hipaa is not a mechanism for the operator not to disclose
the operator is not a covered entity under hipaa
but the LO is not legally responsible to disclose that info. to their league
that said
it would morally behoove the LO to ask the player for consent to disclose
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
HIPAA only applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers. If you tell your medical history to the public (a league operator), they have no legal obligation to keep secret what you already disclosed.


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Well if they ask, you have no obligation to tell them anything. They can say you can't play I guess. Then they might just have another problem.

Wonder if we got a people who actually know about the HIPPA LAWS, like a Lawyer, or Law School student?
 

cubswin

Just call me Joe...
Silver Member
HIPAA only applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers. If you tell your medical history to the public (a league operator), they have no legal obligation to keep secret what you already disclosed.


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Not really, though I doubt it would apply to a league operator. It does apply to more than just those specific items though.
 

MattPoland

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Not really, though I doubt it would apply to a league operator. It does apply to more than just those specific items though.


https://www.hipaajournal.com/covered-entities-under-hipaa/

f130fcc8c7a82a36f5303d32b2668c1a.jpg



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Ipmtim

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Had 1 guy test positive in our APA league.
LO cancelled play that week, notified team captains, and pool hall was cleaned top to bottom.
We resumed play the next week with no casualties.
 

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This is completely pool related.

APA NOT DISCLOSING KNOWN COVID19 INFECTED PLAYERS??? Basically the local APA Operator is saying he does not have to tell anyone who they are.

What do people think about this? Claiming Hipaa as a means to not disclose?? Lets hear what all you fine AZB'ers think!

TFT
Just another reason for me not to play league pool again. Let's see, i think that makes it reason # 586. ;)
 

trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
Oh, notice I left my opinion about whether it should be going on at all...... I will continue to do that :)

TFT

My new saying to strangers: The part where your "freedom" interfere's with my Civil Liberties is when we are going to have a serious problem.

Just another reason for me not to play league pool again. Let's see, i think that makes it reason # 586. ;)
 

TATE

AzB Gold Mensch
Silver Member
My new saying to strangers: The part where your "freedom" interfere's with my Civil Liberties is when we are going to have a serious problem.

I saw a cute cartoon, can't find it but it was about masks and said something like "Your rights end at my nose!".
 

jason

Unprofessional everything
Silver Member
Wife has over 35 years in nursing, some as a nurse, some teaching nursing, and remainder in nursing management. Cannot disclose the persons name, but have the duty to inform all those in contact. lets face it, on something such as a pool league, people will end up piecing it together anyway, in time.

The difference is she is in a professional environment. As a trained health care worker, the rules and regulations are possibly different. I think an APA operator has about as much obligation in that area as your local supermarket checkout girl or cab driver—none. We are each responsible for protecting ourselves. Knowing the risk of playing pool league or just going out in public is our choice. Take all of the above as my opinion. I am not a lawyer nor do I work in the healthcare industry.
 

The_JV

'AZB_Combat Certified'
APA NOT DISCLOSING KNOWN COVID19 INFECTED PLAYERS??? Basically the local APA Operator is saying he does not have to tell anyone who they are.

Here's the thing... Assuming the rest of those within the room are responsible enough to self isolate and/or get a test, then the LO doesn't need to disclose those who have tested positive.

The truth is anyone in the hall has the opportunity to contract the virus via commonly touched surface. Obviously those in close contact have a greater risk. However the LO can simply release a statement detailing that any and all attendees within that league have been potential exposed. That the league will be suspended for the next 2 weeks. ...and he/she encourages all potential exposed league members to be tested.

I don't see the need for names to be mentioned. If league members take the situation seriously enough, then all will follow the necessary protocols without the need to paint the originally infected as lepers. Hell, even if the LO posts the names of the covid positive it doesn't mean those with higher risk will do anything about it.
 
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Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well if they ask, you have no obligation to tell them anything. They can say you can't play I guess. Then they might just have another problem.

Wonder if we got a people who actually know about the HIPPA LAWS, like a Lawyer, or Law School student?

WHy do you even put such nonsense together? Your ignorant treatment and responses to the Doc showed your ignorant perspective toward documented experts.

Anyway, HIPPA is not complicated, in a broad sense. It is not applicable to the situation at hand.
 

David in FL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Since we reopened over two months ago, my pool room and league have had a total of three players come down with Covid.

All three self-reported via social media and chose to self quarantine. I don’t know of any players who had been in close contact with any of them who chose to quarantine, nor did anyone else get sick.

Neither the league nor the room felt the need to change their operations or post any personal information, though the league did post that a player had tested positive each time that it happened without any specifics. I don’t know of any people that stayed away from the league or the room as a result of that though…

That seems like the way it should be handled. The people who are sick take responsibility, and everyone else is free to make a decision on how they react based on their personal preferences and individual situation…
 
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