To help protect patients, EMS agencies are required to have __________.

• A. An anonymous reporting system.
• B. A privacy officer to answer questions.
• C. Public forums with their medical director.
• D. Online access to patient records.

Answer: (B)

Protecting patient information is essential in EMS, since staff handle protected health information every run. A privacy officer is the designated person responsible for implementing privacy policies, training personnel, and answering questions about privacy. This role ensures the agency complies with HIPAA and related regulations, oversees how PHI is stored and shared, and coordinates responses to any privacy concerns or breaches. Having someone in this position helps the entire organization maintain confidentiality and trust with patients.

The other options don’t specifically address how patient privacy is protected: an anonymous reporting system focuses on safety or quality issues rather than privacy; public forums with the medical director could expose PHI and raise confidentiality problems; online access to patient records would create privacy risks and isn’t the required standard.