A question on HIPAA- my friend wrote a complaint to a doctor’s office over his care. He then received a letter to his front door from a courier the office’s law firm wrote firing him as a patient. However, the letter wasn’t in an envelope and was out in the open. Is this a privacy violation?

A question on HIPAA- my friend wrote a complaint to a doctor’s office over his care. He then received a letter to his front door from a courier the office’s law firm wrote firing him as a patient. However, the letter wasn’t in an envelope and was out in the open. Is this a privacy violation?

Not sure if this is the right sub, but please let me know if it isn’t where I should post it.

The letter was a standard letter to terminate the medical relationship and instructing to seek care elsewhere. My friend wasn’t going to return as he made clear in his complaint, so obviously the office was doing it to cover their legal bases. The weird part is it wasn’t sent via mail, but was hand delivered to him by a courier via his front door. The letter was out in the open and not in an envelope, and had his name, address, and the doctor’s office name and address. My reading of the intake forms he signed says they can share his info with their legal associates, but does this count or is this a privacy violation?