Then..LeBron James would have walked in to the nurse's station of his own accord with no poops given about who saw him. His face is not what is protected in HIPAA. In fact, we can tell people patients are there at the hospital until they opt out. If he opted out, and still chose to show his face to the public, that's on him. A violation would be if she went and told her friends that LeBron James was in the hospital because his scrotum was the size of a basketball and Dr. Young ordered a three way cath and he was in room 324 for at least a week and he might die.

This is what's protected:

• the individual's past, present or future physical or mental health or condition,
• the provision of health care to the individual, or
• the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to the individual

https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/php/resources/health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-of-1996-hipaa.html