Health Insurance Portability Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and Accountability Act of 1996

(HIPAA)(HIPAA)

The organization has adopted a policy of zero tolerance for

employees who knowingly/willingly violate confidentiality/security of

Protected Health Information. Any staff member who

knowingly/willingly breaches confidentiality/security of Protected

Health Information will result in termination.

Health Information Portability and Accountability Act

Privacy-anything written or verbally spoken

-conscious effort by healthcare workers to keep patient information secret

-includes physical condition, emotional status, financial information, and etc.

-P.H.I. should not be discussed in public places

-breaches of confidentiality should be reported to someone who can actively advocate for the patient

-P.H.I. is to be given out on a need to know basis only

-protecting PHI is everyone’s responsibility

-we must have a written or verbal consent to release PHI, except in emergencies

Health Information Portability and Accountability Act

Security

-any PHI that is on a computer system

-preventing computer viruses or malicious software by using caution when opening email attachments and using caution when downloading from the internet

-Phishing- deceptive e-mail directing you to an official looking, but phony website

-Physical security- as it relates to HIPAA, is securing of physical devices and media from loss or theft

Health Information Portability and Accountability Act

Security-keeping passwords confidential

-changing passwords on a regular basis decreases the risk of a password being compromised.

-when creating a password try not to use people, places, and

sports teams

-use upper and lower case letters

-report any suspicious activity related to PHI immediately

PATIENT RIGHTSThe right to receive a Notice of the Privacy Practices

The right to obtain access, inspect and copy their PHI

The right to an accounting of the disclosures of their PHI

The right to receive confidential communications

The right to request an amendment to their PHI

PATIENT RIGHTS The patient has a right to request a restriction of their PHI

The patient has a right to receive an accounting of disclosures outside of treatment, payment or operations.

The patient has a right to file a complaint to our organization or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services about the organization’s privacy practices and/or suspected violations.

Question:

Can we share our user names and passwords with anyone

(including co-workers, Students, and etc.)?

Answer:

No, Never!!!!! You are responsible for your userid

and password!

Question:

Can you put someone on a prayer list at church when they are a patient in

this facility?

Answer:

If you have learned the information from work – no.

You can always have unspoken prayer requests.

Question:

If I have a patient in one area (ex. Home Health or an

out patient) and they are admitted to the hospital, can I

look at the acute records? 

Answer:You should only be accessing the

record if you have a need to know in order to provide continued service for

the patient. Need to know would include a referral in the hospital to

continue care or referral for follow up care. If it is for any other reason, it

would be considered a HIPAA violation.

Question:

If I have seen a patient during an earlier hospital stay, can I look at old chart information?

Answer:

Yes, if you receive a referral or need

information for the treatment plan.

Question:

When talking to a referring facility – what initial

information are you allowed to give?

Answer:

You are allowed to give as much information as needed.

This falls under continuity of care.

Question:

Is it a HIPAA violation to access portions of the chart

that I do not need?

Answer:

Yes

Question:

If your immediate family member is in the hospital,

can you look at their records?

Answer:

No – you must follow hospital policy for obtaining

records.

Question:

Is it a HIPAA violation to look at your own test

results? Must you sign a release of information form

first and go through the health information

department?

Answer:

You must follow the hospital policy on obtaining records, which requires that

you sign a release of information and Health

Information will copy your records for you.

Question:

Am I allowed to discuss Patient information in a

public area?

Answer:

You need to be aware of your surroundings and

be discrete.

Question:

Can you go in and see who is in the hospital

without looking at information?

Answer:

No, this would be considered a HIPAA violation.

The organization has adopted a policy of zero tolerance for

employees who knowingly/willingly violate confidentiality/security of

Protected Health Information. Any staff member who

knowingly/willingly breaches confidentiality/security of Protected

Health Information will result in termination.

Questions

Who can I contact about HIPAA?

Debbie Martin, Director of Health Information HIPAA Privacy Officer

Maleigha Amyx, Director of Information Services

HIPAA Security Officer